Analytic disks with boundaries in a maximal real submanifold of \({\mathbb C}^ 2\) (Q1070073)

Let M be an orientable, smoothly embedded, totally real submanifold of \({\mathbb{C}}^ 2\). A continuous map F: \(\bar D\to {\mathbb{C}}^ 2\) of the closed unit disk \(\bar D=\{| z| \leq 1\}\) into \({\mathbb{C}}^ 2\) that is holomorphic on the open disk \(D=\{| z| <1\}\) and maps its boundary \(bD=\{| z| =1\}\) into M is called an analytic disk with boundary in M. Given such a disk \(F^ 0\) we give a rather complete description of the nearby disks with boundary in M in terms of an integer \(m=Ind_{F^ 0}M\), called the index of M along \(F^ 0\), which only depends on the homology class of the path \(F^ 0: bD\to M\) and is easily calculated from the local parametrization of M along \(F^ 0(bD)\). If \(m\geq 1\), there is a \(2m+2\) parameter family of nearby disks which are stable under small deformations of M in \({\mathbb{C}}^ 2\). If \(m\leq 0\), there are no nearby disks, and the initial disk may disappear under a small deformation of M. When \(m=1\) the nearby disks form a smooth hypersurface with boundary in M [this is related to a result of \textit{E. Bedford} in Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Cl. Sci., IV. Ser. 9, 529-570 (1982; Zbl 0574.32019)]. We also prove a regularity theorem for immersed families of analytic disks with boundary in M, consider several examples, and construct a totally real three-torus in \({\mathbb{C}}^ 3\) with a bizzare polynomially convex hull.