Some multi-valued solutions to Monge-Ampère equations (Q851498)

Let \(D\) be a bounded smooth convex domain in \(\mathbb R^n\), \(n\geq 2\), and let \(f\in C^0\) satisfy \(a\leq f\leq b\), for some positive constants \(a\) and \(b\). The authors construct several types of multi-valued solutions of the Monge-Ampère equation \(\det(D^2u)=f\). The case of finitely valued solutions is the following: Let \(\Sigma\subset D\) be homeomorphic in \(\mathbb R^n\) to a \((n-1)\)-dimensional closed disc, and let \(\Gamma=\partial\Sigma\) the boundary of \(\Sigma\). Let \(M=(D\setminus \Gamma)\times Z\) denote a covering of \(D\setminus \Gamma\) with the following parameterisation: fix \(x^*\in D\setminus \Sigma\) and \(x\in D\setminus \Gamma\) and connect them by a smooth curve; if the curve goes through \(\Sigma\) \(m\) times in the (fixed) positive sense then we arrive at \((x,m)\) in \(M\); if the curve goes through \(\Sigma\) \(m\) times in the negative sense then we arrive at \((x,-m)\) in \(M\). For \(k=2,3, ...\) the standard equivalence relation is introduced: \((x,m)\) and \((y,\ell)\) are equivalent if and only if \(x=y\) and \(m-\ell\) is an integer multiple of \(k\). Let \(M_k\) be the relative quotient manifold, and let \(\partial' M_k=\bigcup_{i=1}^k(\partial D\times\{i\})\). If \(\varphi_i\in C^0(\partial D)\), \(i=1,\cdots, k\), consider the function \(h\in C^\infty(M_k)\cap L^\infty (M_k)\cap C^0(M_k\cup\partial' M_k)\) satisfying \[ \Delta h=0\quad \text{on}\quad M_k, \;\;h=\varphi_i\quad \text{on}\quad\partial D\times \{i\},\;\;1\leq i\leq k. \] The first result proved is the following: there are infinitely many bounded locally convex viscosity solutions \(u\) satisfying \(u\leq h\) of the problem \[ \det(D^2 u)=f\quad \text{on}\quad M_k, \;\;u=\varphi_i\quad \text{on }\quad \partial D\times \{i\},\;\;1\leq i\leq k. \] Furthermore, the existence of a solution with prescribed values on \(\Gamma\) is discussed. In the case \(\Gamma\) is a ``plane curve'', the existence of a classical solution vanishing on \(\Gamma\) is proved. Several other situations are discussed, such as: infinitely valued solutions with exponential growing right hand side, globally finitely valued solutions, infinitely valued solutions with a triple point, infinitely valued solutions with constant right hand side, infinitely valued solutions with constant right hand side and a triple point.