Gradient rearrangement for diffeomorphisms of a compact manifold. (Q1426668)

The general problem of optimal transportation of mass is to find a map minimizing a cost-function among Borelian maps transporting given Borelian measures one to another. \textit{Y. Brenier} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 305, 805--808 (1987; Zbl 0652.26017)] considered a quadratic cost-function and observed that the optimal map must be the gradient of a function solving a formally partial differential equation of Monge-Ampère type. In this paper, the author considers the results of Y. Brenier and R. McCann on optimal mass transportation via gradient rearrangement restricted to smooth diffeomorphisms on a compact Riemannian manifold. The author presents a purely partial differential equation approach of the gradient rearrangement, proving uniqueness and local existence of classical solutions of the Monge-Ampère equation. Global existence is reduced to a priori estimates (left open, except near flat metrics). The link between factorization of diffeomorphisms and the Helmholtz decomposition of vector fields, including a new result on the Moser-Ebin-Marsden factorization, is discussed. A nonlinear comparison principle of independent interest is established.