Rigidity of holomorphic self-mappings and the automorphism groups of hyperbolic Stein spaces (Q1063742)

Suppose X is an n-dimensional Stein space having the homotopy type of a CW-complex with real dimension exactly n. The author seeks conditions such that an injective holomorphic self-map \(f: X\to X\) which induces an automorphism on \(H_ n(X,{\mathbb{Z}})\) will be an automorphism of X. For example, if X is a manifold such that the bounded holomorphic functions give a local embedding near each point, then summing over a countable family yields a bounded strictly plurisubharmonic function on X. Also assuming the existence of a bounded weakly plurisubharmonic exhaustion function and that \(H^ n(X,{\mathbb{C}})\) is finite dimensional, the author uses the \(L^ 2\)-estimates for \({\bar \partial}\) with weights, due to \textit{A. Andreotti} and \textit{E. Vesentini} [Publ. Math., Inst. Haut. Étud. Sci. 25, 81-130 (1965; Zbl 0138.066)] and \textit{L. Hörmander} [Acta Math. 113, 89-152 (1965; Zbl 0158.110)], to show that every de Rham class in \(H^ n(X,{\mathbb{C}})\) can be represented by square-integrable holomorphic n-forms. This along with a modification of the iteration technique of H. Cartan yields \(f\in Aut(X)\). He also shows \(f\in Aut(X)\) assuming X is complete with respect to its Caratheodory pseudometric. The proof for spaces is more delicate (without assuming a bound on the embedding dimension). By embedding one obtains holomorphic n-forms on a relatively compact subset and by solving a suitable \({\bar \partial}\)- problem one can extend to \(L^ 2\) holomorphic n-forms on Reg(X). That Stokes' theorem holds for \(L^ 2\) holomorphic n-forms on Reg(X) when the cycles intersect Sing(X) is proved using the normal decomposition of semi-analytic sets due to \textit{S. Lojasiewicz} [Ann. Sc. Norm Super. Pisa, Sci. Fis. Mat., III. Ser. 18(1964), 449-474 (1965; Zbl 0128.171)]. In the complete case another Runge approximation argument is needed. As well the author proves a rigidity theorem for weakly pseudoconvex domains with smooth boundary without the injectivity assumption on the map.