Given a compact Riemannian manifold, with positive Yamabe quotient, not conformally diffeomorphic to the standard sphere, we prove a priori estimates for solutions to the Yamabe problem. We restrict ourselves to the dimensions less than or equal to 7, where the Positive Mass Theorem is known to be true. We also show that, when the dimension is greater than or equal to 6, the Weyl tensor has to vanish at a point where solutions to the Yamabe equation blow up.
In this paper we establish existence and compactness of solutions to a general fully nonlinear version of the Yamabe problem on locally conformally flat Riemannian manifolds with umbilic boundary.
We prove global existence of instantaneously complete Yamabe flows on hyperbolic space of arbitrary dimension $m\geq3$ starting from any smooth, conformally hyperbolic initial metric. We do not require initial completeness or curvature bounds. With the same methods, we show rigidity of hyperbolic space under the Yamabe flow.
The Yamabe problem concerns finding a conformal metric on a given closed Riemannian manifold so that it has constant scalar curvature. This paper concerns mainly a fully nonlinear version of the Yamabe problem and the corresponding Liouville type problem.
We provide the classification of locally conformally flat gradient Yamabe solitons with positive sectional curvature. We first show that locally conformally flat gradient Yamabe solitons with positive sectional curvature have to be rotationally symmetric and then give the classification and asymptotic behavior of all radially symmetric gradient Yamabe solitons. We also show that any eternal solutions to the Yamabe flow with positive Ricci curvature and with the scalar curvature attaining an interior space-time maximum must be a steady Yamabe soliton.
We present some results on a fully nonlinear version of the Yamabe problem and a Harnack type inequality for general conformally invariant fully nonlinear second order elliptic equations.
We study the convergence of complete non-compact conformally flat solutions to the Yamabe flow to Yamabe steady solitons. We also prove the existence of Type II singularities which develop at either a finite time $T$ or as $t \to +\infty$.
We show that an eternal solution to a complete, locally conformally flat Yamabe flow, $\frac{\partial}{\partial t} g = -Rg$, with uniformly bounded scalar curvature and positive Ricci curvature at $t = 0$, where the scalar curvature assumes its maximum is a gradient steady soliton. As an application of that, we study the blow up behavior of $g(t)$ at the maximal time of existence, $T < \infty$. We assume that $(M,g(\cdot, t))$ satisfies (i) the injectivity radius bound {\bf or} (ii) the Schouten tensor is positive at time $t = 0$ and the scalar curvature bounded at each time-slice. We show tha…
We define a new formal Riemannian metric on a conformal classes of four-manifolds in the context of the $σ_2$-Yamabe problem. Exploiting this new variational structure we show that solutions are unique unless the manifold is conformally equivalent to the round sphere.
The fractional Yamabe problem, proposed by González-Qing (2013, Anal. PDE) is a geometric question which concerns the existence of metrics with constant fractional scalar curvature. It extends the phenomena which were discovered in the classical Yamabe problem and the boundary Yamabe problem to the realm of nonlocal conformally invariant operators. We investigate a non-compactness property of the fractional Yamabe problem by constructing bubbling solutions to its small perturbations.
Motivated by recent progress on a spinorial analogue of the Yamabe problem in the geometric literature, we study a conformally invariant spinor field equation on the $m$-sphere, $m\geq2$. Via variational methods, we study analytic aspects of the associated energy functional, culminating in a blow-up analysis.
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact connected spin manifold of dimension $n\geq 3$ whose Yamabe invariant is positive. We assume that $(M,g)$ is locally conformally flat or that $n \in \{3,4,5\}$. According to a positive mass theorem of Witten, the constant term in the asymptotic development of the Green's function of the conformal Laplacian is positive if $(M,g)$ is not conformally equivalent to the sphere. In the present article, we will give a proof for this fact which is considerably shorter than previous proofs. Our proof is a modification of Witten's argument, but no analysis on asymtotically flat …
We study the asymptotic behavior of local solutions to the Yamabe equation near an isolated singularity, when the metric is not conformally flat. We prove that, in dimension $6$, any solution is asymptotically close to a Fowler solution, which is an extension of the same result for lower dimensions by F.C. Marques in 2008.
We consider two cases of the asymptotically flat scalar-flat Yamabe problem on a non-compact manifold with boundary, in dimension $n\geq3$. First, following arguments of Cantor and Brill in the compact case, we show that given an asymptotically flat metric $g$, there is a conformally equivalent asymptotically flat scalar-flat metric that agrees with $g$ on the boundary. We then replace the metric boundary condition with a condition on the mean curvature: Given a function $f$ on the boundary that is not too large, we show that there is an asymptotically flat scalar-flat metric, conformally equi…
We prove compactness of solutions of a fully nonlinear Yamabe problem satisfying a lower Ricci curvature bound, when the manifold is not conformally diffeomorphic to the standard sphere. This allows us to prove the existence of solutions when the associated cone $Γ$ satisfies $μ^+_Γ\le 1$, which includes the $σ_k-$Yamabe problem for $k$ not smaller than half of the dimension of the manifold.
We prove global existence of Yamabe flows on non-compact manifolds $M$ of dimension $m\geq3$ under the assumption that the initial metric $g_0=u_0g_M$ is conformally equivalent to a complete background metric $g_M$ of bounded, non-positive scalar curvature and positive Yamabe invariant with conformal factor $u_0$ bounded from above and below. We do not require initial curvature bounds. In particular, the scalar curvature of $(M,g_0)$ can be unbounded from above and below without growth condition.
In this paper, we give an optimal inequality relating the relative Yamabe invariant of a certain compactification of a conformally compact Poin-car{é}-Einstein manifold with the Yamabe invariant of its boundary at infinity. As an application, we obtain an elementary proof of the rigidity of the hyper-bolic space as the only conformally compact Poincar{é}-Einstein manifold with the round sphere as its conformal infinity.
Let (M,g) be a compact Riemannian manifold of dimension n \geq 3. The Compactness Conjecture asserts that the set of constant scalar curvature metrics in the conformal class of g is compact unless (M,g) is conformally equivalent to the round sphere. In this paper, we construct counterexamples to this conjecture in dimensions n \geq 52.
Let $X$ be an asymptotically hyperbolic manifold and $M$ its conformal infinity. This paper is devoted to deduce several existence results of the fractional Yamabe problem on $M$ under various geometric assumptions on $X$ and $M$: Firstly, we handle when the boundary $M$ has a point at which the mean curvature is negative. Secondly, we re-encounter the case when $M$ has zero mean curvature and is either non-umbilic or umbilic but non-locally conformally flat. As a result, we replace the geometric restrictions given by González-Qing (Analysis and PDE, 2013) and González-Wang (arXiv:1503.02862) …
In this paper, we give a sharp spectral characterization of conformally compact Einstein manifolds with conformal infinity of positive Yamabe type in dimension $n+1>3$. More precisely, we prove that the largest real scattering pole of a conformally compact Einstein manifold $(X,g)$ is less than $\ndemi -1$ if and only if the conformal infinity of $(X,g)$ is of positive Yamabe type. If this positivity is satisfied, we also show that the Green function of the fractional conformal Laplacian $P(α)$ on the conformal infinity is non-negative for all $α\in [0, 2]$.
In this paper we first use the result in $[12]$ to remove the assumption of the $L^2$ boundedness of Weyl curvature in the gap theorem in $[9]$ and then obtain a gap theorem for a class of conformally compact Einstein manifolds with very large renormalized volume. We also uses the blow-up method to derive curvature estimates for conformally compact Einstein manifolds with large renormalized volume. The second part of this paper is on conformally compact Einstein manifolds with conformal infinities of large Yamabe constants. Based on the idea in $[15]$ we manage to give the complete proof of th…
We introduce a fractional Yamabe flow involving nonlocal conformally invariant operators on the conformal infinity of asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds, and show that on the conformal spheres $(\Sn, [g_{\Sn}])$, it converges to the standard sphere up to a Möbius diffeomorphism. This result allows us to obtain extinction profiles of solutions of some fractional porous medium equations. In the end, we use this fractional fast diffusion equation, together with its extinction profile and some estimates of its extinction time, to improve a Sobolev inequality via a quantitative estimate of the rem…
This paper deals with the conformal deformation of the standard metric in a domain on the sphere to a complete metric with the constant scalar curvature. The problem of description of domains allowing such deformation originates in the works of Loewner and Nirenberg, and Schoen and Yau concerned with the locally conformally flat manifolds. The goal of this work is to apply ideas from the nonlinear potential theory to the problem. They allow, in particular, to solve the problem in the case of the constant negative scalar curvature.
In this paper we study the topology of conformally compact Einstein 4-manifolds. When the conformal infinity has positive Yamabe invariant and the renormalized volume is also positive we show that the conformally compact Einstein 4-manifold will have at most finite fundamental group. Under the further assumption that the renormalized volume is relatively large, we conclude that the conformally compact Einstein 4-manifold is diffeomorphic to $B^4$ and its conformal infinity is diffeomorphic to $S^3$.
In this paper, we prove a gap result for a locally conformally flat complete non-compact Riemannian manifold with bounded non-negative Ricci curvature and a scalar curvature average condition. We show that if it has positive Green function, then it is flat. This result is proved by setting up new global Yamabe flow. Other extensions related to bounded positive solutions to a schrodinger equation are also discussed.
Let M be a compact manifold equipped with a Riemannian metric g and a spin structure \si. We let $λ(M,[g],\si)= \inf_{\tilde{g} \in [g]} λ_1^+(\tilde{g}) Vol(M,\tilde{g})^{1/n}$ where $λ_1^+(\tilde{g})$ is the smallest positive eigenvalue of the Dirac operator D in the metric $\tilde{g}$. A previous result stated that $λ(M,[g],\si) \leq λ(\mS^n) =\frac{n}{2} \om_n^{1/n}$ where \om_n stands for the volume of the standard n-sphere. In this paper, we study this problem for conformally flat manifolds of dimension n \geq 2 such that D is invertible. E.g. we show that strict inequality holds in dime…
We consider the self-dual conformal classes on n#CP^2 discovered by LeBrun. These depend upon a choice of n points in hyperbolic 3-space, called monopole points. We investigate the limiting behavior of various constant scalar curvature metrics in these conformal classes as the points approach each other, or as the points tend to the boundary of hyperbolic space. There is a close connection to the orbifold Yamabe problem, which we show is not always solvable (in contrast to the case of compact manifolds). In particular, we show that there is no constant scalar curvature orbifold metric in the c…
In this note we prove that a (anti-)self dual quasi Yamabe soliton with positive sectional curvature is rotationally symmetric. This generalizes a recent result of G. Huang and H. Li in dimension four. Whence, (anti-) self dual gradient Yamabe solitons with positive sectional curvature is rotationally symmetric. We also prove that half conformally flat gradient Yamabe soliton has a special warped product structure provided that the potential function has no critical point.
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact conformally flat manifold of dimension $n\geq4$ with positive scalar curvature. According to a positive mass theorem by Schoen and Yau, the constant term in the development of the Green function of the conformal Laplacian is positive if $(M,g)$ is not conformally equivalent to the sphere. On spin manifolds, there is an elementary proof of this fact by Ammann and Humbert, based on a proof of Witten. Using differential forms instead of spinors, we give an elementary proof on even dimensional manifolds, without any other topological assumption.
The Yamabe problem in compact closed Riemannian manifolds is concerned with finding a metric with constant scalar curvature in the conformal class of a given metric. This problem was solved by the combined work of Yamabe, Trudinger, Aubin, and Schoen. In particular, Aubin solved the case when the Riemannian manifold is compact, is nonlocally conformally flat and has a dimension equal to or greater than $6$. In $2015$, Case considered a Yamabe-type problem in the setting of smooth measure space in manifolds and for a parameter $m$, which generalizes the original Yamabe problem when $m=0$. Addit…
In this paper we study the existence and compactness of positive solutions to a family of conformally invariant equations on closed locally conformally flat manifolds. The family of conformally covariant operators $P_α$ were introduced via the scattering theory for Poincaré metrics associated with a conformal manifold $(M^n, [g])$. We prove that, on a closed and locally conformally flat manifold with Poincaré exponent less than $\frac {n-α}2$ for some $α\in [2, n)$, the set of positive smooth solutions to the equation $$ P_αu = u^\frac {n+α}{n-α} $$ is compact in the $C^\infty$ topology. There…
We investigate the blow-up behavior of sequences of sign-changing solutions for the Yamabe equation on a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ of positive Yamabe type. For each dimension $n\ge11$, we describe the value of the minimal energy threshold at which blow-up occurs. In dimensions $11 \le n \le 24$, where the set of positive solutions is known to be compact, we show that the set of sign-changing solutions is not compact and that blow-up already occurs at the lowest possible energy level. We prove this result by constructing a smooth, non-locally conformally flat metric on space forms $\mathbb{S}…
One way to generalize the boundary Yamabe problem posed by Escobar is to ask if a given metric on a compact manifold with boundary can be conformally deformed to have vanishing $σ_k$-curvature in the interior and constant $H_k$-curvature on the boundary. When restricting to the closure of the positive $k$-cone, this is a fully nonlinear degenerate elliptic boundary value problem with fully nonlinear Robin-type boundary condition. We prove a general bifurcation theorem which allows us to construct examples of compact Riemannian manifolds $(X,g)$ for which this problem admits multiple non-homoth…
We study a fully nonlinear flow for conformal metrics. The long-time existence and the sequential convergence of flow are established for locally conformally flat manifolds. As an application, we solve the $\sk$-Yamabe problem for locally conformal flat manifolds when $k \neq n/2$.
Let $(X^{n+1}, g^+)$ be an $(n+1)$-dimensional asymptotically hyperbolic manifold with a conformal infinity $(M^n, [\hat{h}])$. The fractional Yamabe problem addresses to solve \[P^γ[g^+,\hat{h}] (u) = cu^{n+2γ\over n-2γ}, \quad u > 0 \quad \text{on } M\] where $c \in \mathbb{R}$ and $P^γ[g^+,\hat{h}]$ is the fractional conformal Laplacian whose principal symbol is $(-Δ)^γ$. In this paper, we construct a metric on the half space $X = \mathbb{R}^{n+1}_+$, which is conformally equivalent to the unit ball, for which the solution set of the fractional Yamabe equation is non-compact provided that $…
In this paper we provide a sharp characterization of the smooth four-dimensional sphere. The assumptions of the theorem are conformally invariant, and can be reduced to an L^2 inequality of the Weyl tensor and positivity of the Yamabe invariant.
This work concerns with the existence and detailed asymptotic analysis of Type II singularities for solutions to complete non-compact conformally flat Yamabe flow with cylindrical behavior at infinity. We provide the specific blow-up rate of the maximum curvature and show that the solution converges, after blowing-up around the curvature maximum points, to a rotationally symmetric steady soliton. It is the first time that the steady soliton is shown to be a finite time singularity model of the Yamabe flow.
We define an invariant for compact spin manifolds $X$ of dimension $4k$ equipped with a metric $h$ of positive Yamabe invariant on its boundary. The vanishing of this invariant is a necessary condition for the conformal class of $h$ to be the conformal infinity of a conformally compact Einstein metric on $X$.
We study integral curvature conditions for a Riemannian metric $g$ on $S^4$ that quantify the best bilipschitz constant between $(S^4,g)$ and the standard metric on $S^4$. Our results show that the best bilipschitz constant is controlled by the $L^2$-norm of the Weyl tensor and the $L^1$-norm of the $Q$-curvature, under the conditions that those quantities are sufficiently small, $g$ has a positive Yamabe constant and the $Q$-curvature is mean-positive. The proof of the result is achieved in two steps. Firstly, we construct a quasiconformal map between two conformally related metrics in a posi…
The Gursky-Streets equation are introduced as the geodesic equation of a metric structure in conformal geometry. This geometric structure has played a substantial role in the proof of uniqueness of $σ_2$ Yamabe problem in dimension four. In this paper we solve the Gursky-Streets equations with uniform $C^{1, 1}$ estimates for $2k\leq n$. An important new ingredient is to show the concavity of the operator which holds for all $k\leq n$. Our proof of the concavity heavily relies on Garding's theory of hyperbolic polynomials and results from the theory of real roots for (interlacing) polynomials.…
We develop the calculus for hypersurface variations based on variation of the hypersurface defining function. This is used to show that the functional gradient of a new Willmore-like, conformal hypersurface energy agrees exactly with the obstruction to smoothly solving the singular Yamabe problem for conformally compact four-manifolds. We give explicit hypersurface formulae for both the energy functional and the obstruction.
We study the topology of a complete asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein manifold such that its conformal boundary has positive Yamabe invariant. We proved that all maps from such manifold into any nonpositively curved manifold are homotopically trivial. Our proof is based on a Bochner type argument on harmonic maps.
In this paper we study the local behaviour of admissible metrics in the k-Yamabe problem on compact Riemannian manifolds $(M, g_0)$ of dimension $n\ge 3$. For $n/2 <k<n$, we prove a sharp Harnack inequality for admissible metrics when $(M,g_0)$ is not conformally equivalent to the unit sphere $S^n$ and that the set of all such metrics is compact. When $(M,g_0)$ is the unit sphere we prove there is a unique admissible metric with singularity. As a consequence we prove an existence theorem for equations of Yamabe type, thereby recovering a recent result of Gursky and Viaclovski on the solvabilit…
