Domains with a continuous exhaustion in weakly complete surfaces (Q2205590)

The authors prove the following theorem. Let \(X\) be a complex surface which admits a real-analytic plurisubharmonic exhaustion function and let \(D\subset X\) be a domain which admits a continuous plurisubharmonic exhaustion function. Then one of the following holds true: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] \(D\) is a modification of a Stein space of dimension \(2\); \item[(2)] \(X\) and \(D\) are proper over open Riemann surfaces; \item[(3)] \(X\) and \(D\) are of Grauert type (a \textit{surface of Grauert} type is a complex surface endowed with a smooth plurisubharmonic exhaustion function whose regular level sets are Levi-flat hypersurfaces, foliated with dense complex leaves). \end{itemize} Suppose \(M\) is a complex manifold endowed with a continuous plurisubharmonic exhaustion function. The \textit{continuous minimal kernel of \(M\)} is defined as \(\bigcap_\varphi Z_\varphi\), where the intersection is taken over all continuous plurisubharmonic exhaustion functions \(\varphi: M\longrightarrow\mathbb R\) and \(Z_\varphi\) is the set of all \(p\in M\) such that \(\varphi\) is not strongly plurisubharmonic at \(p\). Let \(X\) be a complex surface which admits a real-analytic plurisubharmonic exhaustion function. The above theorem implies the following two corollaries: \begin{itemize} \item[--] Let \(D\subset X\) be a domain which admits a continuous plurisubharmonic exhaustion function. Then the minimal kernels of \(D\) with respect to continuous functions and with respect to real-analytic functions are the same set. \item[--] If a domain \(D\subset X\) admits a continuous plurisubharmonic exhaustion function, then it admits a real-analytic plurisubharmonic exhaustion function, which is strongly plurisubharmonic outside the minimal kernel. \end{itemize}