Application of Catlin's box construction to subellipticity of \(n-1\) forms (Q1360205)

Consider a bounded domain \(\Omega\) in \({\mathbb{C}}^n\) with smooth boundary defined by \(r<0\), where \(dr\neq 0\) on \(\partial\Omega\). Let \(z=(z_1,\cdots, z_n)\), and let \(z^\prime=(z_1,z_2)\), \(z''=(z_3,\cdots,z_n)\). And also let the intersection of the domain \(\Omega\) with the complex planes in \((z_1,z_2)\) at \(z''\) be \[ \Omega_{z''}=\{(z_1,z_2)\in {\mathbb{C}}^2\colon r(z_1,z_2,z'')<0\} \subset {\mathbb{C}}^2. \] In the paper under review, assume that the defining function \(r\) satisfies, for \(w'' =(w_3,\cdots, w_n)\) a point in \({\mathbb{C}}^{n-2}\), (1) \(\Omega_{z''}(z_1,z_2)\subset {\mathbb{C}}^2\) are pseudoconvex for all \(z''\) in a neighborhood of \(w''\), (2) \(\Omega_{w''}(z_1,z_2)\subset {\mathbb{C}}^2\) is of finite type \(m\) at \((z_1,z_2)=(w_1,w_2)\). The author proves that a subelliptic estimate \[ \||u|\|_{1/m}^2\leq C(\|\overline\partial u\|^2+ \|\overline\partial{}^* u\|^2+ \|u\|^2) \] holds for \((p,n-1)\)-forms for \(\Omega\) at \((w_1,w_2,w'')\). There are two key steps in the proof (1) the author modifies Catlin's box construction [\textit{D. W. Catlin}, Math. Z. 200, No.~3, 429-466 (1989; Zbl 0661.32030)] to cook up a suitable plurisubharmonic function, (2) based on (1) the author uses a variation of Catlin's method [\textit{D. W. Catlin}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 126, 131-191 (1987; Zbl 0627.32013)] to establish the subelliptic estimate. In the last section of the paper, the author also provides an example to show that the requirement that there is a family of two-dimensional cross sections of \(\Omega\) being pseudoconvex is somehow necessary.