Intermediate integrals of the Monge-Ampère equations (Q1589096)

This article deals with the existence of the intermediate integrals for the Monge-Ampère equations. Let \(M\) be an \(n\)-dimensional smooth manifold, \(J^1M\) the bundle of \(1\)-jets of functions of \(M\), \(U_1\) the canonical Cartan \(1\)-form on \(J^1M\) and \(C\) the contact ideal (generated by \(U_1\)). For each function \(f\in C^\infty(J^1M)\), let \(X_f\) be the unique tangent field preserving \(C\) and such that \(f=U_1(X_f)\); also, denote by \(L_f\) the Lie derivative along \(X_f\) and set \(U_1^\alpha=1/\alpha U_1\) for each not vanishing function \(\alpha\in C^\infty(J^1M)\). Let us denote by \(\Lambda_\alpha^* J^1M\) the module of sections of the bundle whose fiber at each jet \(x_1\in J^1M\) is generated by the exterior forms annihilating \(X_{\alpha,x_1}\). A differential form \(\omega\in\Lambda_\alpha^nJ^1M\) is effective if \(dU_1^\alpha\wedge\omega=0\) (up to \(C\), this condition does not depend of \(\alpha\)). The module of effective \(n\)-forms will be denoted by \(\Lambda_{\varepsilon,\alpha}^nJ^1M\). Then there is a one-to-one correspondence between the Monge-Ampère operators and the effective forms [\textit{V. V. Lychagin}, Russ. Math. Surv. 34, No. 1, 149-180 (1979); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 34, No. 1, 137-165 (1979; Zbl 0405.58003)]: if \(\omega\in\Lambda_{\varepsilon,\alpha}^nJ^1M\) then we define the operator \(\Delta_\omega\colon C^\infty(M)\rightarrow\Lambda^nM\) determined by the condition \(\Delta_\omega f=(j_1f)^*\omega\), \(\forall f\in C^\infty(M)\), where \(j_1f\) denotes the \(1\)-jet prolongation of \(f\). For each differential form \(\sigma\), set \(P_\alpha\sigma=i_{X_\alpha}U_1^\alpha\wedge\sigma\), where \(i_{X_\alpha}\) denotes the insertion operator of the tangent field \(X_\alpha\). The author proves the following criterion. A function \(k\in C^\infty(J^1M)\) is an intermediate integral of the Monge-Ampère equation associated with \(\Delta_\omega\) if and only if the \(1\)-form \(d_p^\alpha k\) is characteristic for the operator \(\nabla_\omega\), where \(d_p^\alpha=P_\alpha\circ d\) and \(\nabla_\omega=P_\alpha\circ L_{f\alpha}\). The rest of this paper focuses on the case of the two dimensional manifolds \(M\). In this situation, the condition in the above criterion is equivalent to the existence of an eigenvector of a certain operator associated with \(\omega\) an \(dU_1^\alpha\). When \(\omega\) is closed with constant class and its Pfaffian \(\text{Pf}_\alpha\omega\neq \text{const}\) (where \(\text{Pf}_\alpha\omega\wedge dU_1^\alpha\wedge dU_1^\alpha=\omega\wedge\omega\)) then the following statement is given. The Monge-Ampère equation has intermediate integrals if and only if \(\text{Pf}_\alpha\omega\) is also an intermediate integral; in that case, all the intermediate integrals are functions of \(\text{Pf}_\alpha\omega\). When \(\text{Pf}_\alpha\omega=\text{const}\), the author gives a detailed description of the intermediate integrals in terms of certain distributions defined on \(J^1M\). Finally, the above results are applied to the equations associated with the Minkowski and Aleksandrov problems in the theory of surfaces, obtaining the complete description of its intermediate integrals.