The log term in the Bergman and Szegő kernels in strictly pseudoconvex domains in \(\mathbb C^2\) (Q1623081)

The author considers the log term of the asymptotic expansion of the Bergman and Szegő kernels on the diagonal on strictly pseudoconvex domains in \(\mathbb{C}^2\). For a bounded smooth strictly pseudoconvex domain \(D\subset\mathbb{C}^n\), the Bergman kernel \(K_B\) and the Szegő kernel \(K_S\) on the diagonal of \(D\) have asymptotic expansions of the form \[ K_B\sim\frac{\phi_B}{\rho^{n+1}}+\psi_B\log\rho\qquad\text{and}\qquad K_S\sim\frac{\phi_S}{\rho^{n}}+\psi_S\log\rho, \] where \(\phi_B,\phi_S,\psi_B,\psi_S\in C^{\infty}(\overline{D})\) and \(\rho\) is a Fefferman defining function for \(D\). In \(\mathbb{C}^2\), the log term \(\psi_B\) has an asymptotic expansion \[ \psi_B=a_1\eta_1+a_2Q\rho+O(\rho^2),\qquad a_1,a_2\in\mathbb{C}\setminus\{0\}, \] and the log term \(\psi_S\) has an asymptotic expansion \[ \psi_S=c_1\eta_1\rho+c_2Q\rho^2+O(\rho^3),\qquad c_1,c_2\in\mathbb{C}\setminus\{0\}, \] where \(Q\) is E. Cartan's 6th order (umbilical) invariant. It is known that \(b\eta_1:=\eta_1|_{\partial D}=0\) on an open subset of \(\partial D\) does not imply that \(\partial D\) is locally spherical in general. However, the author shows that, if we assume further that \(D\subset\mathbb{C}^2\) has transverse symmetry, then \(b\eta_1=0\) on all \(\partial D\) if and only if \(\partial D\) is locally spherical. As a direct corollary of this main result, the log term \(\psi_B|_{\partial D}=0\) on all \(\partial D\) if and only if \(\partial D\) is locally spherical, and if and only if the log term \(\psi_S=O(\rho^2)\) on all \(\partial D\). Furthermore, if \(D\) is simply connected and \(\partial D\) is connected, then \(D\) is biholomorphic to the unit ball \(\mathbb{B}^2\subset\mathbb{C}^2\).