Geometry and Topology Seminar

The Monge-Ampere equation det(D^2u) = 1 arises in prescribed curvature problems and in optimal transport. An interesting feature of the equation is that it admits singular solutions. We will discuss new examples of convex functions on R^n that solve the Monge-Ampere equation away from finitely many points, but contain polyhedral and Y-shaped singular structures. Along the way we will discuss geometric motivations for constructing such examples, as well as their connection to a certain obstacle problem.