About the Calabi problem: a finite-dimensional approach (Q1949973)

Let \(M\) be a compact complex manifold, \(n:=\dim_{\mathbb{C}} M\) and let \(L\) be an ample line bundle on \(M\). Fix a smooth volume form \(\Omega\) on \(M\) such that \(\int_M \Omega = c_1(L)^n\). Set \(N_k+1=\dim H^0(L^k)\). Denote by \(\mathrm{Met}(L^k)\) the set of smooth Hermitian metrics on \(L^k\). If \(V\) is a finite-dimensional complex vector space, denote by \(\mathrm{Met}(V)\) the set of Hermitian products on \(V\). \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [Pure Appl. Math. Q. 5, No. 2, 571--618 (2009; Zbl 1178.32018)] defined two natural maps between \(\mathrm{Met}(L^k)\) and \(\mathrm{Met}(H^0(L^k))\). The map \(\mathrm{Hilb}_{k,\Omega} : \mathrm{Met}(L^k) \rightarrow \mathrm{Met}(H^0(L^k))\) is defined by \[ \mathrm{Hilb}_{k, \Omega} (s_1, s_2) :=\int_M h(s_1,s_2)\, \Omega, \qquad s_i \in H^0(M, L^k). \] Thus \(\mathrm{Hilb}_{k,\Omega}(h)\) is the \(L^2\) metric induced by \(h\) and \(\Omega\). The second map \(FS_k : \mathrm{Met}(H^0(L^k)) \rightarrow \mathrm{Met}(L^k) \) is defined by the condition that if \(H\in \mathrm{Met}(H^0(L^ k) )\) and \(\{S_i\}\) is an \(H\)-orthonormal basis of \(H^0(L^k)\), then for all \(p\in M\), \[ \sum_{i=0}^{N_k }\big|S_i(p)\big|^2_{FS_k(H)}= \frac{N_k+1} {c_1(L)^n}. \] \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [Pure Appl. Math. Q. 5, No. 2, 571--618 (2009; Zbl 1178.32018)] proved that for any sufficiently large \(k\), there exists a unique fixed point \(h_k\) of the map \(T_k:=FS_k\circ \mathrm{Hilb}_{k, \Omega}: \mathrm{Met}(L^k) \rightarrow \mathrm{Met}(L^k)\). The metric \(h_k\) is called \(\Omega\)-balanced. S. K. Donaldson [loc. cit.] and \textit{J. Keller} [J. Inst. Math. Jussieu 8, No. 4, 743--768 (2009; Zbl 1178.32020)] proved that when \(k\rightarrow \infty\), the metrics \((h_k)^{1/k}\) converge (in the smooth topology) to a smooth Hermitian metric \(h_\infty\) such that \(c_1(h_\infty)^n = \Omega\). So \(h_\infty\) is the solution to the Calabi problem of prescribing the volume form in a given Kähler class. Assume that \(k\) is large enough so that \(L^k\) is very ample. A basis of \(H^0(L^k)\) yields an embedding \(\iota : M \rightarrow \mathbb{P}^{N_k}\). Let \(\mu : \mathbb{CP}^{N_k} \rightarrow i \mathfrak{u}(N_k+1)\) be the standard moment map. Set \[ \mu_\Omega(\iota)=\int_M \mu\circ\iota \cdot \Omega \in i \mathfrak{u}(N_k+1). \] The pull-back by \(\iota\) of the standard Fubini-Study metric on \(\mathcal{O}_{\mathbb{P}^{N_k}} (1)\) is an \(\Omega\)-balanced metric on \(L^k\) if and and only if \[ \mu^0_\Omega(\iota):=\mu_\Omega(\iota) - \frac{\mathrm{tr}(\mu_\Omega(\iota))}{N+1}Id_{N+1}=0. \] Inspired by the work of \textit{J. Fine} [J. Differ. Geom. 84, No. 3, 489--523 (2010; Zbl 1202.32018)] the authors introduce the \textit{rescaled \(\Omega\)-balancing flow}, which is the ordinary differential equation \[ \frac{d \iota_k(t)}{dt} = - k \mu^0_\Omega(\iota_k(t)) \] for an embedding \(\iota_k: M \rightarrow \mathbb{P}^{N_k}\). (The matrix \(\mu^0_\Omega(\iota)\) induces a vector field on \(\mathbb{CP}^{N_k}\), which is used to deform the embedding.) Next, given a metric \(h(0) \in \mathrm{Met}(L)\) set \(\omega:=c_1(h(0)) \in c_1(L)\) and consider the parabolic Monge-Ampère equation \[ \frac{\partial\phi_t}{\partial t} = 1-\frac{\Omega}{(\omega+ i \partial \overline{\partial} \phi_t)^n}, \qquad \phi_0=0, \] for a function \(\phi: [0,\infty) \times M \rightarrow \mathbb{R}\). The flow given by this equation is called by the authors \textit{\(\Omega\)-Kähler flow}. Denote by \(h_\infty\) the solution to \(c_1(h_\infty)^n = \Omega\) in the class \(c_1(L)\) and let \(\phi_\infty\) be such that \(h_\infty = e^{-\phi_\infty} h(0)\). Theorem 2. Let \(\phi_t\) be the solution of the \(\Omega\)-Kähler flow (with \(\phi_0=0\)) on the maximal time interval \(0\leq t < T_{\mathrm{max}}\). Set \[ v_t=\phi_t - \frac{1}{c_1(L)^n}\int_M \phi_t \frac{\omega^n}{n!}. \] Then all the \(C^k\)-norms of \(v_t\) are uniformly bounded for \(0\leq t < T_{\mathrm{max}}\). Consequently \(T_{\mathrm{max}}=+\infty\). Moreover, when \(t\rightarrow \infty\), \(v_t\) converges to the function \(v_\infty\) defined by \[ v_\infty=\phi_\infty - \frac{1}{c_1(L)^n}\int_M \phi_\infty \frac{\omega^n}{n!}, \] and \(\frac{\partial \phi_t }{\partial t}\) converges to a constant. Let \(h_k(0)\) be the metrics approximating \(h(0)\) provided by Tian's theorem. Let \(\iota_k (0) : M\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^{N_k}\) be the embedding given by a \(\mathrm{Hilb}_{k, \Omega}(h_k(0))\)-orthonormal basis of \(H^0(L^k)\). For any \(k\) let \(t \mapsto \iota_k(t) \) be the solution of the rescaled \(\Omega\)-balancing flow with initial condition \(\iota_k(0)\). Theorem 1. For any fixed \(t\), the sequence \(\omega_{k}(t) : = (1/k) \iota_k(t)^*(\omega_{FS})\) converges in the \(C^\infty\)--topology to the solution \(\omega+ i \partial \overline{\partial} \phi_t\) of the \(\Omega\)-Kähler flow (starting with \(\phi_0=0\)). The convergence is \(C^1\) in \(t\). Some related results are contained in [\textit{H. Fang} et al., J. Reine Angew. Math. 653, 189--220 (2011; Zbl 1222.53070)].