A classification of taut, Stein surfaces with a proper \({\mathbb{R}}\)-action (Q411346)

Suppose \(X\) is a taut Stein surface with a proper holomorphic \((\mathbb R, +)\)-action. There exists a universal globalization \(X^*\) of \(X\) with the corresponding \(\mathbb C\)--action proper by \textit{C. Miebach} and \textit{K. Oeljeklaus}' result [Doc. Math., J. DMV 14, 673--689 (2009; Zbl 1185.32007)] and so \(X^*\) is a holomorphic \(\mathbb C\)-principal bundle over the Riemann surface \(S := X^*/\mathbb C\). Since \(H^1(S, \mathcal{O} ) = 0\), \(X^*\) is biholomorphic to \(\mathbb C \times S\) for \(S\) non-compact. The authors also show what happens when \(S\) is compact. In that setting they prove that \(S\) is hyperbolic and, if \(\Delta @>{\Gamma}>> {S}\) is the universal covering, then \(X^*\) is biholomorphic to \((\mathbb C \times\Delta)/\Gamma\), where the \(\Gamma\)-action on \(\mathbb C\) is induced by a group homomorphism \(\Gamma \to\mathbb R\). In order to realize \(X\) as an \(\mathbb R\)-invariant domain in \(X^*\) the following is proved (see Theorem 3.4): Given a usc function \(a: \mathbb C \to \{ -\infty \} \cup\mathbb R\), the domain \(\Omega_a := \{ (z,w)\, |\, a(w) < \text{Im} z \}\) is taut if and only if \(a\) is continuous, \(\mathbb R\)--valued and subharmonic, but not harmonic.