On the Dirichlet problem for the degenerate real Monge Ampère equation (Q811541)

Consider the following Dirichlet problem for a bounded strictly convex domain \(\Omega\) in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\): Find a convex function \(u\) such that \(\det(Hu)=0\) in \(\Omega\) and \(u\) equals a given function \(\phi\) on the boundary of \(\Omega\), where \(Hu\) denotes the Hessian matrix of \(u\). A unique (generalized) solution to this problem exists, and if the boundary of \(\Omega\) is \(C^{3,1}\) and \(\phi\in C^{1,1}(\partial\Omega)\) then the solution \(u\) is of class \(C^{1,1}(\bar\Omega)\). In this paper we will see that locally \(u\) might have better regularity properties: if \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^ 2\) is bounded, strictly convex with real analytic boundary, and if \(\phi\) is real analytic on \(\partial\Omega\), then the solution \(u\) is real analytic on \(\bar\Omega\) except for finitely many straight lines. A geometric interpretation of these exceptional lines is given as well as several examples.