The Calabi metric and desingularization of Einstein orbifolds (Q2178252)

This paper studies the problem of gluing the Calabi model metric into an Einstein orbifold with cyclic singularity, which generalizes the previous work of Biquard for the real dim 4 case. The Calabi metric is a Ricci flat Kähler metric on the total space of \(\mathcal{O}(-n)\to \mathbb{P}^{n-1}\), which is asymptotically Euclidean, with group at infinity being \(\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z\subset SU(n)\). The authors consider the deformation of the Calabi metric within Einstein metrics, and identify a one-dimensional obstruction space for the linearized operator, with an explicit generator. The gluing problem is then treated by the Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction method, namely, using the implicit function theorem in weighted Hölder spaces to solve the Einstein equation up to the one dimensional obstruction. In the compact setting, there is an explicit curvature expression which captures the first-order obstruction; when this does not vanish, the authors show a nonexistence result within a small neighbourhood of the gluing ansatz. When the curvature expression vanishes, the answer is inconclusive, as there are possible higher order obstructions. The authors then change the setting to asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein metrics, where they are able to obtain an existence result when the obstruction vanishes. This relies on quite intricate interplay between the function germ at the orbifold point where gluing occurs, and the boundary behaviour at the conformal infinity. Roughly speaking, the obstruction issue is removed by deforming the conformal infinity.