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2.10. Uniqueness and moduli [041I]

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2.10. Uniqueness and moduli

In this Section we show that under T2T^{2} symmetry, there is only one complete Calabi-Yau metric gℂ3g_{\mathbb{C}^{3}} on ℂ3\mathbb{C}^{3} within a suitably restrictive asymptotic class prescribed by the metric deviation estimate in Theorem 2.26. The strategy is similar to the one used by Conlon and Hein [2].

Lemma 2.30.

Let δ<−1\delta<-1 and τ<0\tau<0. If a function uu satisfies Δgℂ3​u=0\Delta_{g_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}}u=0 with bound ‖d​u‖Cδ+1,τk+1,α​(ℂ3,Λ1)<∞\left\lVert du\right\rVert_{C^{k+1,\alpha}_{\delta+1,\tau}(\mathbb{C}^{3},\Lambda^{1})}<\infty, then d​u=0du=0.

Proof.

Since gℂ3g_{\mathbb{C}^{3}} is a Ricci-flat metric, the Bochner formula implies

Δ(12|∇u|2)=|∇2u|2+⟨Δ∇u,∇u⟩=|∇2u|2+⟨∇Δu,∇u⟩=|∇2u|2,\Delta(\frac{1}{2}|\nabla u|^{2})=|\nabla^{2}u|^{2}+\langle\Delta\nabla u,\nabla u\rangle=|\nabla^{2}u|^{2}+\langle\nabla\Delta u,\nabla u\rangle=|\nabla^{2}u|^{2},

so |d​u|2|du|^{2} is a non-negative subharmonic function. The decay condition implies it converges to zero at infinity, so maximum principle gives d​u=0du=0. ∎

Proposition 2.31.

Let δ<−1\delta<-1 and τ<0\tau<0. If a T2T^{2}-invariant potential ϕ′\phi^{\prime} satisfies (ωℂ3+−1​∂∂¯​ϕ′)3=ωℂ33(\omega_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}+\sqrt{-1}\partial\bar{\partial}\phi^{\prime})^{3}=\omega_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}^{3} with bound ‖d​ϕ′‖Cδ+1,τk+1,α​(ℂ3,Λ1)<∞\left\lVert d\phi^{\prime}\right\rVert_{C^{k+1,\alpha}_{\delta+1,\tau}(\mathbb{C}^{3},\Lambda^{1})}<\infty, then d​ϕ′=0d\phi^{\prime}=0.

Proof.

The strategy is to improve the decay rate of d​ϕ′d\phi^{\prime} iteratively, until it becomes sufficiently fast. We rewrite the equation as a Poisson equation

12​(Δgℂ3​ϕ′)​ωℂ33=−3​(−1​∂∂¯​ϕ′)2∧ωℂ3−(−1​∂∂¯​ϕ′)3.\frac{1}{2}(\Delta_{g_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}}\phi^{\prime})\omega_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}^{3}=-3(\sqrt{-1}\partial\bar{\partial}\phi^{\prime})^{2}\wedge\omega_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}-(\sqrt{-1}\partial\bar{\partial}\phi^{\prime})^{3}.

Notice that −1​∂∂¯​ϕ′\sqrt{-1}\partial\bar{\partial}\phi^{\prime} lives in Cδ,τk,αC^{k,\alpha}_{\delta,\tau}, so its square lives in C2​δ,2​τk,αC^{k,\alpha}_{2\delta,2\tau}. As long as (δ,τ)(\delta,\tau) stays in the good range of weight exponents, Corollary 2.24 and the above vanishing lemma imply that the solution ϕ′\phi^{\prime} to this Poisson equation must satisfy ‖d​ϕ′‖C2​δ+1,2​τk+1,α​(ℂ3,Λ1)<∞\left\lVert d\phi^{\prime}\right\rVert_{C^{k+1,\alpha}_{2\delta+1,2\tau}(\mathbb{C}^{3},\Lambda^{1})}<\infty. This is an improved decay estimate because 2​δ+1<δ2\delta+1<\delta and 2​τ<τ2\tau<\tau. Since each iteration improves the decay rate by a definite amount, within a finite number of steps we can assume δ<−2\delta<-2 and τ<0\tau<0. Then ‖d​ϕ′‖Cδ+1,τk+1,α​(ℂ3,Λ1)<∞\left\lVert d\phi^{\prime}\right\rVert_{C^{k+1,\alpha}_{\delta+1,\tau}(\mathbb{C}^{3},\Lambda^{1})}<\infty implies that ‖ϕ′‖Cδ+2,τk+2,α​(ℂ3)<∞\left\lVert\phi^{\prime}\right\rVert_{C^{k+2,\alpha}_{\delta+2,\tau}(\mathbb{C}^{3})}<\infty after adjusting ϕ′\phi^{\prime} by a constant. Then we can use the standard integration by part argument for the complex Monge-Ampère equation to see

∫ℂ3|∇ϕ′|2​ϕ′p​ωℂ33=0,p≫1.\int_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}|\nabla\phi^{\prime}|^{2}\phi^{\prime p}\omega_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}^{3}=0,\quad p\gg 1.

Hence ϕ′\phi^{\prime} is a constant, and the metric is unique. ∎

It follows from the uniqueness result that the natural parameter space of our Taub-NUT type metrics is the space of positive definite rank 2 matrices (ai​j)(a_{ij}), which involves 3 parameters. The discrete group S3S_{3} acts on the parameter space by permuting the edges 𝔇1,𝔇2,𝔇3\mathfrak{D}_{1},\mathfrak{D}_{2},\mathfrak{D}_{3}, or equivalently interchanging the 3 positive numbers a11,a22,a11+a12+a21+a22.a_{11},a_{22},a_{11}+a_{12}+a_{21}+a_{22}. This permutation does not change the holomorphic isometry type of the Taub-NUT type metrics, so the moduli space of our construction is the S3S_{3}-quotient of the parameter space. The scaling transformations act on the parameter space by

ai​j↦Λ​ai​j,A↦Λ2​A.a_{ij}\mapsto\Lambda a_{ij},\quad A\mapsto\Lambda^{2}A.

The size of AA is inversely related to the area of the asymptotic T2T^{2} in the generic region near infinity, and the inverse matrix (ai​j)(a^{ij}) up to scale describes the shape of the asymptotic T2T^{2}. If we restrict attention to C−1​δi​j≤ai​j≤C​δi​jC^{-1}\delta_{ij}\leq a_{ij}\leq C\delta_{ij}, then the Taub-NUT type metrics on ℂ3\mathbb{C}^{3} are uniformly equivalent.

We mention two interesting problems:

Question.

What kind of degenerations would happen if the scale invariant uniform ellipticity bound (2.11) fails?

Question.

Can we prove uniqueness under a weaker hypothesis? For instance, if a complete Calabi-Yau metric on ℂ3\mathbb{C}^{3} is uniformly equivalent to gℂ3g_{\mathbb{C}^{3}}, then does it need to be a member of our family of Taub-NUT type metrics? If we are only given the topology of ℂ3\mathbb{C}^{3}, then is it possible to characterise our Taub-NUT type metrics in terms of its tangent cone at infinity and some extra curvature decay conditions?

The author feels this uniqueness question would be the beginning of a classification program of higher dimensional gravitational instantons (cf. Section 2.11.2 for more discussions).

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