Symmetry and uniqueness of parabolic affine spheres (Q1923232)

In the present paper, the study of smooth locally convex parabolic affine spheres (PA-spheres) with \(C^2\) boundary and normal vector (after a unimodular transformation) \(\xi=(0,0,1)\), embedded in the affine space \({\mathcal A}^3\), is translated to the study of convex solutions to the Monge-Ampère equation on a planar domain \[ \det\bigl(\frac{\partial^2 f}{\partial x_i\partial x_j}\bigr)=1.\tag{1} \] (Calabi showed the equivalence of local solutions of (1) to local PA-spheres.) The paper treats the following aspects: 1) properties of compact PA-spheres, 2) elasticity and existence, 3) noncompact PA-spheres, 4) a maximum principle at infinity. A key method of the proofs is the maximum principle for elliptic equations. Below we shall quote some of the results. The following notation is used: \(M\) denotes a PA sphere; \(\Pi_k:=\{x\in{\mathcal A}^3\mid x_3=k\}\); \(p_\xi:M\to\Pi_k\), projection; if \(C\subset\Pi_k\), then \(I(C)\), \(E(C)\) denote respectively the bounded and unbounded regions of \(\Pi_k\setminus C\). The authors prove the following results: Proposition 1. Let the boundary \(B\) of a compact PA-sphere \(M\) be \(B=B_1\cup B_2\), with \(B_1\subset\Pi_{k_1}\), and \(B_2\subset\Pi_{k_2}\) and \(k_1>k_2\). Then \(B_1\) and \(B_2\) are connected and \(p_\xi\overline{(I(B_2))}\subset p_\xi\overline{(I(B_1))}\). Moreover, \(M\) is globally the graph of the function \(f\) defined on \(\Omega=p_\xi(I(B_1))\setminus p_\xi(I(B_2))\), which satisfies (1), and \(f=k_i\) in \(p_\xi(B_i)\). The authors also prove some maximum principle-like result, showing that two compact PA-spheres locally coincide under certain conditions. Corollary 2. If \(C_1\) and \(C_2\) are two cycles lying on two different parallel planes \(\Pi_1\) and \(\Pi_2\), then any compact PA-sphere with boundary \(C_1\cup C_2\) and with affine normal vector in direction of the line joining the centers of the two circles is affinely equivalent to a PA-sphere of revolution. Theorem 3. Let \(C_1\) and \(C_2\) be two ellipses lying on two different parallel planes \(\Pi_1\) and \(\Pi_2\). Assume that there is a direction \(\gamma\) in \(\Pi_1\) and a plane \(\Sigma\) transversal to \(\gamma\) such that \(B=C_1\cup C_2\) is invariant under reflection through \(\Sigma\) parallel to \(\gamma\). If \(M\) is a compact PA-sphere with boundary \(B\) and affine normal vector \(\xi\in\Sigma\) such that \(M\) meets each intermediate parallel plane to \(\Pi_i\) in an ellipse, then \(M\) is affinely equivalent to a surface of revolution. Let \(g_\lambda(R):=\frac{R}{2}\sqrt{R^2-\lambda^2}-\frac{\lambda^2}{2}\cosh^{-1}\bigl(\frac{R}{\lambda}\bigr)\), \(R>\lambda>0\). Theorem 4 (Nonexistence). Let \(B_1\) be a closed strictly convex curve, lying in \(\Pi_0\equiv\{x_3=0\}\), and \(B_2\) an arbitrary curve in \(H^+\equiv\{x_3> 0\}\). Assume that \(R\) is a positive number such that \(B_1\) is contained in \(I(C_R)\), where \(C_R\) is the circle with center at (0,0,0) and radius \(R\) in \(\Pi_0\), and that \(B_2\) is contained in the exterior of the PA-sphere of revolution \(M_R\) generated by the curve \(g_\lambda(R)\). Then every compact PA-sphere \(M\) with affine normal \(\xi = (0,0,1)\) and boundary \(B_1\cup B_2\) must be disconnected. Finally, there is the following maximum principle at infinity. Let \(\Omega_R:=\{z\in \mathbb C: |z|> R\}\). Theorem 5. Let \(f_1\) and \(f_2\) be convex solutions of (1) on \(\Omega\), with \(f_1=f_2\) on \(\partial \Omega\). Suppose that the graphs \(M_{f_1},M_{f_2}\) of \(f_1\) and \(f_2\), respectively, are regular at infinity and \(f_1\geq f_2\) on \(\Omega_S\) for some \(S >R\). If there exists a sequence \(\{w_n\}_{n\in \mathbb{N}}\) in \(\Omega R\) with \(\lim_{n\to\infty}|w_n|=\infty\) and \(\lim_{n\to\infty}|f_1(w_n)- f_2 (w_n)|= 0\), then \(f_1= f_2\). The authors prove various results similar to the above ones. They contribute to the theory of surfaces in \(\mathbb R^3\), using elementary techniques in semilinear elliptic PDE and complex analysis; the proofs are straightforward. The paper is a well readable contribution to the field, indicating references for further reading.