Obstruction flat rigidity of the CR 3-sphere (Q2054216)

Let \(\Omega\) be a strictly pseudoconvex domain in \(\mathbb{C}^{n}, n>1\). The \textit{obstruction function} (or \textit{obstruction density}) \(\mathcal{O}\) on the boundary of \(\Omega\) is a CR invariant that arises in connection with Fefferman's approach to CR geometry of the boundary via the asymtotic expansion of the solution of the Dirichlet problem for the complex Monge-Ampère on \(\Omega.\) The vanishing of \(\mathcal{O}\) governs the smooth extensibility of the Cheng-Yau's solution of this equation. In terms of pseudohermitian invariants, \(\mathcal{O} = Q_{11,}{}^{11} - i A^{11} Q_{11}\), where \(Q_{11}\) is the Cartan umbilical tensor and \(A_{11}\) is the pseudohermitian torsion. The paper under review studies the obstruction flatness problem which was studied earlier by the authors [Am. J. Math. 143, No. 1, 265--306 (2021; Zbl 1470.32103)]. A strictly pseudoconvex CR manifold \(M\) is obstruction flat if its obstruction function \(\mathcal{O}\) vanishes identically. The obstruction flatness problem asks whether any compact obstruction flat CR manifold must be locally CR equivalent to the CR sphere. Regarding this problem, the authors prove in this paper a number of interesting results. For example, they prove that the standard CR 3-sphere is rigid as an obstruction-flat CR 3-manifold. In other words, any small obstruction flat deformation of the CR 3-sphere must be CR equivalent to the CR 3-sphere.