The Dirichlet problem for degenerate complex Monge-Ampère equations (Q614511)

Let \((X, \omega )\) be a compact \(n\)-dimensional Kähler manifold and \(L\to X\) a positive holomorphic line bundle. \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [Transl., Ser. 2, Am. Math. Soc. 196 (45), 13--33 (1999; Zbl 0972.53025)] asked whether it is true (or conjectured) that if there is no constant scalar curvature metric on \(X\), then there exists an infinite geodesic ray in the space of Kähler potentials along which the Mabuchi \(K\)-energy is decreasing. By [\textit{T. Mabuchi}, Osaka J. Math. 24, 227--252 (1987; Zbl 0645.53038)] and [\textit{S. Semmes}, Am. J. Math. 114, No. 3, 495--550 (1992; Zbl 0790.32017)], the geodesic equation for a path \(t\to \phi (\cdot, t)\), \(t\in (-T, 0]\), is equivalent to the homogeneous Monge-Ampère equation \[ (\Omega + dd^c \Phi )^{n+1} =0, \;\;\Omega + dd^c \Phi \geq 0 \] on \(M=X\times \big\{ w: e^{-T} <|w| \leq 1\big \}\), where \(\Phi (z,w)= \phi (z, \log |w| )\) and \(\Omega\) is the pull-back of \(\omega\) from \(X\) (via the projection). The latter formulation allows to define a ``generalized geodesic'' as a \(w\)-rotation invariant, \(\Omega\)-plurisubharmonic \(\Phi\) which solves this equation. For an infinite ray, one has to consider the punctured disc in place of an annulus in \(w\). The authors study the regularity of the solutions of the above homogeneous Monge-Ampère equation with the Dirichlet condition \(\Phi =0\) on \(\partial M\), for an \(\Omega\) which can be degenerate Kähler, \(\Omega \geq 0\), but such that \[ \Omega -\varepsilon [E] >0 \] for some effective divisor \(E\) and some \(\epsilon >0\). They obtain a priori bounds for the gradient and Laplacian in terms of powers of \(\sigma\), a defining section for \(E\). From those estimates they conclude that the solutions of the Dirichlet problem are of class \(C^{\alpha }\) on \(M\setminus E\) for any \(\alpha \in (0,1)\). Moreover, the solutions are \(C^{1, \alpha }\) if \(M\) has a locally flat boundary. The proof uses a method recently employed by \textit{Z. Błocki} in his 2009 preprint ``On the space of Kähler metrics''. This result is then applied to show the \(C^{1, \alpha }\) regularity of geodesic rays starting from test configurations for \(L\to X\). It improves a previous result of the same authors [``On the regularity of geodesic rays associated to test configurations'', \url{arXiv:0707.3956}].