Harmonic discs of solutions to the complex homogeneous Monge-Ampère equation (Q897009)

Consider the Dirichlet problem for the complex homogeneous Monge-Ampère equation (HMAE) on \(X\times \mathbb D\), where \((X,\omega)\) is a compact Kähler manifold and \(\mathbb D\) the unit disc in the plane, \[ \begin{aligned} &\Phi (\cdot , \tau ) = \phi (\cdot , \tau ), \;\;\;\tau \in \partial \mathbb D, \\ & \pi ^{\ast } \omega + dd^c \Phi \geq 0, \\ &( \pi ^{\ast } \omega + dd^c \Phi )^{n+1} = 0, \end{aligned} \] (\(\pi\) denotes the projection on the first variable and \(\phi (\cdot , \tau )\) is a smooth \(\omega\)-plurisubharmonic function). The equation is especially interesting when the disc is replaced by an annulus since then it is the equation for geodesics in the Mabuchi space of Kähler metrics. In this context the regularity of solutions is crucial. It has been shown by \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [J. Symplectic Geom. 1, No. 2, 171--196 (2002; Zbl 1035.53102)] that the solution is not always smooth. By \textit{X. Chen} [J. Differ. Geom. 56, No. 2, 189--234 (2000; Zbl 1041.58003)] and by \textit{Z. Błocki} [Advanced Lectures in Mathematics (ALM) 21, 3--19 (2012; Zbl 1329.32009)] that it is however almost \(C^{1,1}\). A regular solution gives a foliation whose leaves are harmonic discs, in the sense that the form \(\pi ^{\ast } \omega + dd^c \Phi\) vanishes along each of them. The results of this paper show that there may exist an open set meeting the boundary of \(X\times \mathbb D\) such that no harmonic disc intersects this set for some smooth boundary data. This remains true also for a small variation of that data in \(C^{4, \alpha }\), \(\alpha >0\). These statements disagree with some theorems in [\textit{X. Chen} and \textit{G. Tian}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 107, 1--107 (2008; Zbl 1182.32009)]. The examples for which the foliations do not exist are obtained for \(X=\mathbb P ^1\). Then the harmonic discs are characterized in terms of the Hele-Shaw flow which is shown to be related to HMAE via Legendre transform.