We extend a recent result of Avelin, Hed, and Persson about approximation of functions f that are plurisubharmonic on a domain Ω and continuous on ˙Ω, with functions that are plurisubharmonic on (shrinking) neighborhoods of ˙Ω. We show that such approximation is possible if the boundary of Ω is C0 outside a countable exceptional set E⊂∂Ω. In particular, approximation is possible on the Hartogs triangle. For Hölder continuous u, approximation is possible under less restrictive conditions on E. We next give examples of domains where this kind of approximation is not possible, even when approximation in the Hölder continuous case is possible.

Let $(X,T^{1,0}X)$ be a compact orientable embeddable three dimensional strongly pseudoconvex CR manifold and let ${\rm P\,}$ be the associated CR Paneitz operator. In this paper, we show that (I) ${\rm P\,}$ is self-adjoint and ${\rm P\,}$ has $L^2$ closed range. Let $N$ and $\Pi$ be the associated partial inverse and the orthogonal projection onto ${\rm Ker\,}{\rm P\,}$ respectively, then $N$ and $\Pi$ enjoy some regularity properties. (II) Let $\hat{\mathcal{P}}$ and $\hat{\mathcal{P}_0}$ be the space of $L^2$ CR pluriharmonic functions and the space of real part of $L^2$ global CR functions respectively. Let $S$ be the associated Szeg\"o projection and let $\tau$, $\tau_0$ be the orthogonal projections onto $\hat{\mathcal{P}}$ and $\hat{\mathcal{P}_0}$ respectively. Then, $\Pi=S+\ol S+F_0$, $\tau=S+\ol S+F_1$, $\tau_0=S+\ol S+F_2$, where $F_0, F_1, F_2$ are smoothing operators on $X$. In particular, $\Pi$, $\tau$ and $\tau_0$ are Fourier integral operators with complex phases and $\hat{\mathcal{P}}^\perp\bigcap{\rm Ker\,}{\rm P\,}$, $\hat{\mathcal{P}_0}^\perp\bigcap\hat{\mathcal{P}}$, $\hat{\mathcal{P}_0}^\perp\bigcap{\rm Ker\,}{\rm P\,}$ are all finite dimensional subspaces of $C^\infty(X)$ (it is well-known that $\hat{\mathcal{P}_0}\subset\hat{\mathcal{P}}\subset{\rm Ker\,}{\rm P\,}$). (III) ${\rm Spec\,}{\rm P\,}$ is a discrete subset of $\Real$ and for every $\lambda\in{\rm Spec\,}{\rm P\,}$, $\lambda\neq0$, $\lambda$ is an eigenvalue of ${\rm P\,}$ and the associated eigenspace $H_\lambda({\rm P\,})$ is a finite dimensional subspace of $C^\infty(X)$.

We give a complete proof of the Bers–Sullivan–Thurston density conjecture. In the light of the ending lamination theorem, it suffices to prove that any collection of possible ending invariants is realized by some algebraic limit of geometrically finite hyperbolic manifolds. The ending invariants are either Riemann surfaces or filling laminations supporting Masur domain measured laminations and satisfying some mild additional conditions. With any set of ending invariants we associate a sequence of geometrically finite hyperbolic manifolds and prove that this sequence has a convergent subsequence. We derive the necessary compactness theorem combining the Rips machine with non-existence results for certain small actions on real trees of free products of surface groups and free groups. We prove then that the obtained algebraic limit has the desired conformal boundaries and the property that none of the filling laminations is realized by a pleated surface. In order to be able to apply the ending lamination theorem, we have to prove that this algebraic limit has the desired topological type and that these non-realized laminations are ending laminations. That this is the case is the main novel technical result of this paper. Loosely speaking, we show that a filling Masur domain lamination which is not realized is an ending lamination.

We describe a natural decomposition of a normal complex surface singularity ($X$, 0) into its “thick” and “thin” parts. The former is essentially metrically conical, while the latter shrinks rapidly in thickness as it approaches the origin. The thin part is empty if and only if the singularity is metrically conical; the link of the singularity is then Seifert fibered. In general the thin part will not be empty, in which case it always carries essential topology. Our decomposition has some analogy with the Margulis thick-thin decomposition for a negatively curved manifold. However, the geometric behavior is very different; for example, often most of the topology of a normal surface singularity is concentrated in the thin parts.

We prove a certain non-linear version of the Levi extension theorem for meromorphic functions. This means that the meromorphic function in question is supposed to be extendable along a sequence of complex curves, which are arbitrary, not necessarily straight lines. Moreover, these curves are not supposed to belong to any finite-dimensional analytic family. The conclusion of our theorem is that nevertheless the function in question meromorphically extends along an (infinite-dimensional) analytic family of complex curves and its domain of existence is a pinched domain filled in by this analytic family.