No label defined (Q4400628)

This is a survey of old and new results on the Calabi problem of the characterisation of compact complex manifolds \(M\) which admit a Kähler-Einstein metric with positive scalar curvature. Such a manifold is a Fano manifold (i.e. \(c_1(M)>0\)) and it can be realized as a submanifold of \(\mathbb{C} P^N\). The construction of Kähler-Einstein metrics on \(M\) reduces to the solution of some Monge-Ampère equation. The method of continuation allows one to prove the existence of a solution of this equation if a uniform estimation of the norm of the solutions can be established. Using this approach, G. Tian proved recently that a manifold \(M\) without holomorphic vector fields admits a Kähler-Einstein metric if some functional on the space \(\mathcal M(\omega)\) of Kähler metrics with given Kähler class \([\omega]\) is proper. Obstructions to existence of a Kähler-Einstein metric on \(M\) are nonreducibility of the Lie algebra \(h(M)\) of holomorphic vector fields (Matsushima theorem) and nonvanishing of the Futaki functional on \(h(M)\). The author discusses some generalization of the Futaki functional, given by W. Ding and G. Tian, and its relation with the stability of the tangent bundle of \(M\) in the sense of Chow-Mamford. Some deep results are formulated, which support the following fundamental conjecture by S.-T. Yau: Conjecture. A Fano manifold \(M\) admits a Kähler-Einstein metric if and only if the tangent bundle \(TM\) is stable in the sense of Chow-Mamford. A symplectic interpretation of these results in term of the infinite-dimensional manifold \(\mathcal M (\omega)\) is given. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0910.00034].