Volume, polar volume and Euler characteristic for convex functions (Q1710400)

Let \(\mathcal{K}\) be the set of compact convex bodies in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). A valuation on convex bodies is a map \(\mu:\mathcal{K} \to \mathbb{R}\) such that \(\mu(K \cup L)+\mu(K \cap L)=\mu(K)+\mu(L)\) whenever \(K,L,K \cup L \in \mathcal K\). Blaschke has shown in 1937 that the space of continuous (with respect to the Hausdorff metric on \(\mathcal{K}\)), \(\mathrm{SL}(n)\)-invariant and translation-invariant valuations is spanned by the Euler characteristic and the volume. More recently, Ludwig and Reitzner have obtained in 2017 the same conclusion for continuous and \(\mathrm{SL}(n)\)-invariant valuations on the space of convex bodies containing the origin, without any translation-invariance. This result was further extended by Haberl and Parapatits in 2014. They showed that the space of continuous and \(\mathrm{SL}(n)\)-invariant valuations on the space of compact convex bodies containing the origin in the interior is spanned by Euler characteristic, volume, and volume of the polar body. In the paper under review, a functional analogue of the theorem of Haberl and Parapatits is given. Let \(\operatorname{Conv}(\mathbb{R}^n,\mathbb{R})\) be the space of convex, coercive functions \(u:\mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}\). A valuation on convex functions is a map \(Z:\operatorname{Conv}(\mathbb{R}^n,\mathbb{R}) \to \mathbb{R}\) such that \(Z(u \wedge v)+Z(u \vee v)=Z(u)+Z(v)\) whenever \(u,v,u \wedge v \in \operatorname{Conv}(\mathbb{R}^n,\mathbb{R})\). The main theorem describes the cone of positive, continuous, \(\mathrm{SL}(n)\)-invariant and translation-invariant valuations on \(\operatorname{Conv}(\mathbb{R}^n,\mathbb{R})\). The three types of valuations appearing in this description can be thought of as functional analogues of Euler characteristic, volume and polar volume. The last term (corresponding to the polar volume) involves the gradient of the Legendre transform.