An explicit calculation of the Ronkin function (Q744937)

Let \(f(z):=\sum_{\alpha\in A}a_{\alpha}z^{\alpha}\) be a Laurent polynomial in \(n\) variables \(z:=(z_1,\dots,z_n)\), where \(A\subset \mathbb Z^n\) is a finite subset. Its Ronkin function is defined as \[ N_f(x)=\Big(\frac{1}{2\pi i}\Big)^n\int_{\mathrm{Log}^{-1}(x)}\log|f(z)|\frac{dz}{z} \] for \(x\in\mathbb R^n\), and was introduced in [\textit{L. I. Ronkin}, Introduction to the theory of entire functions of several variables. Translated from the Russian by Israel Program for Scientific Translations. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1974; Zbl 0286.32004)]. The Ronkin measure \(\mu_f\) associated to \(f\) is the real Monge-Ampère measure of \(N_f\). For \(n=2\) the following remarkable result was proved in [\textit{M. Passare} and \textit{H. Rullgård}, Duke Math. J. 121, No. 3, 481--507 (2004; Zbl 1043.32001)]: The area of the amoeba \({\mathcal A}_f\) of \(f\) is bounded by \(\pi^2\) times the area of the Newton polytope \(\Delta_f\) of \(f\). Recall that \({\mathcal A}_f\) is the image of \(f^{-1}(0)\) under the map \[ \mathrm{Log}:(\mathbb C^*)^n\to\mathbb R^n,\, z:=(z_1,\dots,z_n)\mapsto(\log|z_1|,\dots,\log|z_n|), \] and \(\Delta_f\) is the convex hull of the set of those exponents \(\alpha\in A\) such that \(a_{\alpha}\neq0\). There is no hope of finding an analogue of this result in higher dimensions because in this case the volume of the amoeba \({\mathcal A}_f\) is almost always infinite. In the paper under review the author studies the Ronkin measure in the easiest possible three variable examples, namely, \(f:=1+z+w+t\). The main result in this article is that the Ronkin measure of an affine linear polynomial in three variables can be explicitly described in terms of complete elliptic integrals of hypergeometric functions.