On the local theory of prescribed Jacobian equations

Abstract: We develop the fundamentals of a local regularity theory for prescribed Jacobian equations which extend the corresponding results for optimal transportation equations. In this theory the cost function is extended to a generating function through dependence on an additional scalar variable. In particular we recover in this generality the local regularity theory for potentials of Ma,Trudinger and Wang, along with the subsequent development of the underlying convexity theory.