A note on characteristic functions and projectively invariant metrics on a bounded convex domain (Q1093058)

Two important biholomorphically invariant metrics on bounded pseudoconvex domains in \({\mathbb{C}}^ n\) are the Bergman metric and the complete Einstein-Kähler metric of Cheng and Yau. The present article considers real analogues of these, defined on bounded convex domains D in \({\mathbb{R}}^ n\). The results are interesting for their own sake, but also because there is an important interplay between the real and complex cases via the following two constructions: (1) given D, one can consider the tube domain over it in \({\mathbb{C}}^ n\); (2) one can construct a cone in \({\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}\) with base D and consider the tube domain over the cone. It is these constructions that motivate the author's basic definitions. Denoting by \(D^*\) the polar set of D, he defines the characteristic function of D by \(\chi_ D(x)=(n!)\int_{D^*}(1+<x,\xi >)^{-n-1}d\xi\) and the kernel function by \(k_ D(x)=((2n+1)!)\int_{D^*}(1+<x,\xi >)^{-2n- 2}\chi_{D^*}(\xi)^{-1}d\xi.\) He proves that the formula \(-u^{- 1}d^ 2u\), where u is \(\chi_ D\) or \(k_ d\), defines two projectively invariant metrics on D. Furthermore, if D is strictly convex and has \(C^ 2\) boundary, then both metrics are complete. In what follows the author gives asymptotic expansions of \(\chi_ D\) and \(k_ D\) near the boundary, analogous to Fefferman's expansion of the Bergman kernel. There are a number of other results, too complicated to state here in detail. Connections with the Monge-Ampère equation and with known results about homogeneous cones are pointed out and several examples are computed. There is much in the paper to inspire further work on the subject.