Variational solutions to extremal metrics on toric surfaces (Q303803)

The author considers the regularity of minimizers of Donaldson's version of \(K\)-energy associated to Calabi's extremal metrics on toric surfaces. He studies this problem to use the solutions to the first boundary value problem of Abreu's equation to approximate a minimizer of the \(K\)-energy. Donaldson obtained the following expression for the \(K\)-energy in a fixed Kähler class: \[ \mathcal F(u)=-\int_P\log \det D^2u\, dx+\int_{\partial P} u\,d\sigma-\int_P Au\, dx \] where \(P\subset {\mathbb R}^n\) is the Delzant polytope of the Kähler class, \(A\) is a linear function determined by the Futaki invariant and \(d\sigma\) is a boundary measure on \(\partial P\) determined by the polytope. The Euler-Lagrange equation of \(K\)-energy is \[ \sum_{i,j=1}^{n} \left(u^{ij}\right)_{x_ix_j}=-A(x) \] where \((u^{ij})\) is the convex matrix of \((u_{ij})\). The author applies the variational solution obtained from his previous result to prove the interior regularity and uniqueness of minimizers of \(\mathcal F\). Theorem. Assume the polytope \(P\subset {\mathbb R}^2\) is \(K\)-stable and \(A>0\) on \(P\). Then there exists a smooth strictly convex function \(u_\infty\in C^{\infty}(P)\cap C^0(\hat P)\) minimizing \(\mathcal F\) and solving \((1)\), where \(\hat P=\bar P\setminus \{\text{vertices}\}\). Moreover, the minimizer is unique up to differing by linear functions.