Two-dimensional slices of non-pseudoconvex open sets (Q455638)

For an open set \(D\subset\mathbb C^n\) let \(S(D)\) be the set of all \(a\in\mathbb C^n\) for which there exists a two-dimensional complex plane \(P\subset\mathbb C^n\) such that \(a\in P\) and \(P\cap D\) is not pseudoconvex. The paper under review continues investigations of the set \(S(D)\) from the article [\textit{N.~Nikolov} and \textit{P. J.~Thomas}, ``Rigid characterizations of pseudoconvex domains'', \url{arXiv:1012.6022}]. The main results of the paper are the following two geometric characterizations of \(S(D)\): Let \(D\subset\mathbb C^3\) be open and let \(p\in\partial D\) be a \(\mathcal C^1\)-smooth boundary point with defining function \(r\). Assume that \(r\) is twice differentiable at \(p\) and the Hessian of \(r\) at \(p\) restricted to the tangent hyperplane \(T_p\) at \(p\) has two negative eigenvalues and one non-positive eigenvalue. Then if \(S(D)\neq\mathbb C^3\), then there exists a complex line \(\ell\) such that \(p\in\ell\), \(T_p\setminus\ell\subset D\) near \(p\), \(\ell\subset\partial D\) near \(p\), and \(\mathbb C^3\setminus\ell\subset S(D)\). Moreover, for any \(b\notin\ell\) or \(b=p\) there exists a two-dimensional complex plane \(P_b\) such that \(b,p\in P_b\) and \(P_b\cap D\) is not pseudoconvex. The last condition is not satisfied if \(b\in\ell\setminus\{p\}\). Let \(D\subset\mathbb C^n\) be a \(\mathcal C^1\)-smooth open set with a \(\mathcal C^2\)-smooth not pseudoconvex boundary point. If the set of non-\(\mathcal C^2\)-smooth boundary points of \(D\) has zero \((2n-2)\)-Hausdorff measure, then \(S(D)=\mathbb C^n\).