Reflection principle and boundary properties of holomorphic mappings (Q2487432)

This expository paper concerns the reflection principle in several complex variables. It focuses on the Fefferman theorem concerning the extension of a biholomorphism between two bounded strictly pseudoconvex domains in \(\mathbb{C}^n \) to their closures, the Lewy-Pinchuk reflection principle and Webster theorem concerning the extension to an algebraic mapping on \(\mathbb{C}^n\) of a biholomorphic mapping between two strictly pseudoconvex domains in \(\mathbb{C}^n\) with algebraic boundaries. Let \(X,Y\) be real submanifolds in complex affine spaces satisfying some nondegeneracy assumptions and let \(f:X\to Y\) be a Cauchy Riemann (CR) smooth mapping. The algebraic method of developing the reflection principle in several variables (which is a development of the Lewy-Pinchuk reflection principle) implies the study of some intermediate field extensions coming from the defining equations for the manifolds \(X\) and \(Y\) and the algebra of tangent Cauchy-Riemann vector fields. The algebraic reflection principle is considered in the first chapter and there are presented complete proofs of several recent results. Next, the authors consider the geometric reflection principle, based on the complexification of the real analytic structure of the manifolds \(X, Y\). This leads to the important notion of the Segre family of a real analytic or algebraic manifold. Then the authors can apply methods of the geometric theory of partial differential equations in order to study the geometry of analytic CR structures. In chapter 3, they give a complete proof of Fefferman's mapping theorem based on a suitable adaptation of the reflection principle for smooth CR manifolds. Next, they use the scaling method introduced by S. Pinchuk in order to establish the topological rigidity of CR mappings between smooth hypersurfaces. (140 Refs.)