Aug 2026· 2 citations· ⚡ 1 influential· 12 references
Mathematics
Abstract
We study volume comparison for closed Riemannian manifolds satisfying a positive Ricci curvature lower bound together with an improved scalar curvature lower bound. Using an integral extension of the finite shuffling comparison for scalar Jacobi solutions due to Brown and Freedman \cite{BrownFreedman2022}, we prove that if a closed Riemannian manifold $(N^n, g)$ satisfies $\operatorname{Ric}_g\ge (n-1)g$ and the scalar curvature $R_g\ge n(n-1)(1+\varepsilon)$, then its volume satisfies $$\lvert N\rvert_g \le \frac{1}{\sqrt{1+n\varepsilon}}\lvert\mathbb S^n\rvert. $$ In fact, assuming only $\mathrm{Ric}_g\ge(n-1)g$, we can prove that $$\frac{|N|_g}{\left|\mathbb{S}^n\right|} \le \frac{1}{|N|_g} \int_N\left(\frac{R_g}{n-1}-(n-1)\right)^{-\frac{1}{2}} d \mathrm{vol}_g. $$ The equality holds if and only if $N$ is isometric to the unit sphere. The proof combines a coefficient-adapted Jacobian comparison with the integral shuffling comparison. This yields an estimate that retains the full Ricci spectrum. The resulting volume bound agrees to first order in $\varepsilon$ with the factor predicted by Bray's conjecture. A further consequence of the argument is an averaged volume comparison for metric balls involving the scalar curvature.
We prove a sharp volume gap estimate: if an $n$-dimensional compact K\"ahler manifold $(X, \omega)$ satisfies $\mathrm{Ric}(\omega)\ge (n+1)\omega$ and $X\not\cong \mathbb{P}^n$, then $\mathrm{vol}(X, \omega)\le \frac{2n^n}{(n+1)^n}\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{P}^n,\omega_{\mathrm{FS}})=\frac{2^{n+1} \, \pi^n \, n^n}{(n+1)^n}$. Moreover $\mathrm{vol}(X, \omega)= \frac{2^{n+1} \, \pi^n \, n^n}{(n+1)^n}$ occurs if and only if $(X, \omega)$ is biholomorphically isometric to the K\"ahler-Einstein metric on the quadric hypersurface $Q^n$ or on the product $\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{P}^{n-1}$. We also obtain sharp volume gap estimates for K-semistable toric log Fano pairs.
Let $(M^{n+1},g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary. Under the assumptions $\Ric_g\geq ng$ and $\II_g\geq0$, Wang proposed a sharp strengthening of the Choi--Wang--Reilly estimate, asserting that the first nonzero Laplace eigenvalue of the boundary is at least $n$; see [J. Geom. Anal. 31 (2021)]. We disprove this assertion in every dimension $n+1\geq3$. More precisely, we construct a sequence of metrics on the hemisphere $\Sph^{n+1}_{+}$ converging in $C^\infty$ to the round metric and satisfying \[ \Ric_g>n g,\qquad \II_g>0,\qquad \lambda_1(\partial\Sph^{n+1}_{+},g|_{\partial\Sph^{n+1}_{+}})<n. \] The construction starts from Zhu's infinitesimal conformal deformation, which lowers one branch of the first boundary eigenspace while preserving the normalized Ricci lower bound to first order. We add a multiple of the spherical height function.
We prove a Liouville theorem for nonnegative entire strictly spacelike solutions of \[ \operatorname{div}\left(\frac{\nabla u}{\sqrt{1-|\nabla u|^2}}\right)+u^p=0 \qquad\text{in }\mathbb R^n. \] If $n=2$ and $p\geqslant1$, or if $n\geqslant3$ and $1\leqslant p<\frac{n+2}{n-2}$, every nonnegative $C^2$ solution satisfying $|\nabla u|<1$ vanishes identically. No symmetry, decay, integrability, or uniform spacelike gap is assumed. A key independent ingredient is a universal bound, valid for every $n\geqslant2$ and $p\geqslant1$, for both the height $u$ and the Lorentz factor $(1-|\nabla u|^2)^{-1/2}$. Thus pointwise strict spacelikeness automatically improves to a uniform spacelike gap, including in the critical and supercritical regimes. The proof combines a geometric Bernstein estimate, comparison with an explicit hyperbolic cap, and weighted trace-free tensor identities. The result extends the known radial nonexistence theorem to arbitrary entire solutions and yields a geometric half-space rigidity theorem for complete spacelike hypersurfaces.
Xi-nan Ma, Tian Wu, Wangzhe Wu et al.· 0 citations
Let $M$ be a connected smooth $n$-manifold without boundary, where $n\geq3$, and let $\kappa\in\mathbb{R}$, with $\kappa\leq0$ if $M$ is open. We prove that every smooth Riemannian metric $g_0$ with $\mathrm{Scal}_{g_0}\geq\kappa$ is a locally uniform limit of smooth Riemannian metrics $g_i$ with $\mathrm{Scal}_{g_i}=\kappa$ that are locally uniformly bounded in $W^{1,\infty}$. As a corollary, combining this with Gromov's $C^0$-stability theorem, we obtain the perhaps surprising identity \[ \overline{\{g:\mathrm{Scal}_g=\kappa\}}^{\,C^{0,\alpha}_{\mathrm{loc}}}=\{g:\mathrm{Scal}_g\geq\kappa\}, \quad \forall \alpha \in(0,1). \] The restriction $\alpha<1$ is sharp. At $\kappa=0$, this proves and strengthens the Riemannian reverse-Burnett conjecture of Huneau and Luk.
Let $\|M\|_{\Delta}$ denote the simplicial volume of $M$, $V_r(X,h)=\sup_{x\in X}\operatorname{Vol}_h\big(B_h(x,r)\big)$, and $\mathbb{H}^n$ denotes hyperbolic $n$-space. We prove that, if a closed oriented $n$-manifold $M$ admits a hyperbolic metric, then there is a dimensional constant $\delta_n>0$ such that every Riemannian metric $g$ on $M$ with \[ \frac{\operatorname{Vol}_g(M)}{\|M\|_{\Delta}}<\delta_n \] satisfies \[ V_r(\widetilde M,\widetilde g)\ge V_r(\mathbb{H}^n) \quad\text{for every }r\ge 1. \]
Let $n\geq2$ and let $M^n$ be a closed connected smooth manifold. Let $R^\gamma(M)$ be the space of smooth Riemannian metrics $g$ on $M$ for which the generalized conformal Laplace operator $-\gamma\Delta_g+\mathrm{R}_g$ is strictly positive. We prove that if $n=2$ and $\gamma>0$, or if $n\ge3$ and $0<\gamma \leq 4(n-1)/(n-2)$, the inclusion $R^0(M)\hookrightarrow R^\gamma(M)$ is a homotopy equivalence, thus generalizing, to all dimensions and in the maximal range, the results of Botvinnik--Rosenberg and Li--Mantoulidis. Then, we prove that if $n\ge3$ and $\gamma>4(n-1)/(n-2)$, the space $R^\gamma(M)$ is contractible, and hence nonempty. This solves a homotopy-theoretic strengthening of a conjecture of Gromov (Conjecture 3, Section 6.1.2,"Four Lectures on Scalar Curvature") in the maximal possible coefficient range. Concerning Gromov's conjecture we also treat the equivariant case and the case of manifolds with boundary.
G. Antonelli, Georg Frenck, Bernhard Hanke· 0 citations
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads.
See our Cookie Policy.
