Shcherbina's theorem for finely holomorphic functions (Q5962175)

Shcherbina's theorem referred to in the title is: Let \(D\subset {\mathbb C}\) be a domain and let \(f:D\to {\mathbb C}\) be a continuous function. Assume that \(\Gamma_f(D)\) is pluripolar in \({\mathbb C}^2\). Then \(f\) is holomorphic on \(D\), see [\textit{N. Shcherbina}, Acta Math. 194, No. 2, 203--216 (2005; Zbl 1114.32001)]. Recall that a subset \(E\) of \({\mathbb C}^2\) is said to be pluripolar if \(E\subset \{z : u(z)=-\infty\}\) for some \(u\in{\mathcal PSH}({\mathbb C}^2)\). Here \(\Gamma_f(F)\) denotes the graph of the function \(f\) over the subset \(F\) of its domain. \textit{T. Edlund} [Pluripolar sets and pluripolar hulls. Diss. University of Uppsala. Uppsala Dissertations in Mathematics 41 (2005), \url{http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-5872}] proved a similar result: Let \(K\subset{\mathbb C}\) be a compact set and let \(f:{\mathbb C} \to {\mathbb C}\) be a \(C^2\) function such that \(\Gamma_f(K)\) is pluripolar in \({\mathbb C}^2\). Put \[ S=\big\{z\in K : \text{\;for every } \varepsilon>0 \text{\;the set } K\cap {\mathbb D}(z,\varepsilon) \text{\;has positive measure in } {\mathbb C} \big\}. \] Then \(\partial f/\partial\overline z=0\) on \(S\). In particular \(f\in R(S)\). Here \(R(S)\) denotes the set of all functions on \(S\) which are uniform limits on \(S\) of sequences of holomorphic functions defined on neighbourhoods of \(S\). The main result of the present paper gives a similar result for \(C^1\) functions but with a smaller class of sets \(S\), Theorem 1.5: Let \(K\subset {\mathbb C}\) be a compact set and \(f:{\mathbb C} \to {\mathbb C}\) be a \(C^1\) function such that \(\Gamma_f(K)\) is pluripolar in \({\mathbb C}^2\). Put \(S=\{ z\in K : \text{\;the set } {\mathbb C}\setminus K \text{\;is thin at } z\}\). Then \(\partial f/\partial\overline z=0\) on \(\overline S\). In particular \(f\in R(\overline S)\). Recall that a subset \(F\) of \({\mathbb C}^n\) is said to be \textit{thin} at a point \(z\in F\) if there exists a neighbourhood \(U\) of \(z\) in \({\mathbb C}^n\) and \(u\in {\mathcal SH}(U)\) such that \(u\leq 0\) on \(U\), \(u\leq -1\) on \(\big(F\setminus \{z\}\big)\cap U\), and \(u(z)>-\frac 14\). The \textit{fine topology} on \({\mathbb C}\) is the coarsest topology that makes all subharmonic functions continuous. Then \(F\) is thin at \(z\) if and only if \(z\) is not in the fine closure of \(F\). A function \(f:\Omega\to {\mathbb C}\) defined on a fine open set \(\Omega\) in \(\mathbb C\) is said to be \textit{finely holomorphic} on \(\Omega\), if for every \(z\in \Omega\) there exists a compact fine neighbourhood \(K\) of \(z\) in \(\Omega\), such that \(f\) is a uniform limit on \(K\) of rational functions with poles off K. Equivalently, there there exists a \(C^1\) function \(f^*\) on \(\mathbb C\) such that \(f=f^*\) on \(K\) and \(\partial f^*/\partial\overline z=0\) on \(K\). The main result is reformulated with fine holomorphy as Theorem 2.1: Let \(D\subset {\mathbb C}\) be a finely open set and let \(f:D\to {\mathbb C}\) be a function. Then \(f\) is finely holomorphic on \(D\) if and only if \(\Gamma_f(D)\) is pluripolar and for any point \(z\in D\) there exists a compact fine neighbourhood \(K\) of \(z\) and a \(C^1\) function \(f_K:{\mathbb C} \to {\mathbb C}\) such that \(f_K=f\) on \(K\). The proof of Theorem 1.5 is based on Theorem 1.2: Let \(P\) be a pluripolar subset of \({\mathbb C}^n\) and let \(M\) be a \(C^1\) maximal totally real manifold. Then \(M\setminus P\) is not thin at any point of \(M\), which is a generalization of a result of \textit{A. Sadullaev} [Mat. Sb. 101 (143), 501--514 (1976; Zbl 0346.32024)] and \textit{B. Coupet} [Math. Z. 209, No. 2, 179--204 (1992; Zbl 0787.32028)].