Curvature bounds for the spectrum of a compact Riemannian manifold of constant scalar curvature (Q816224)

Let \((M,g)\) be a compact smooth Riemannian manifold with constant scalar curvature \(\tau\) of dimension \(m\). Assume given a positive lower bound \(\alpha\) for the sectional curvatures of the manifold and assume given an upper bound for the Ricci curvature \(\text{Ric}\leq(m-1)\alpha\delta\) where \(\delta\geq1\). Assume that \(M\) is not isometric to the \(m\)-sphere \(S^m(\alpha)\). Then each non-zero eigenvalue \(\lambda\) of the scalar Laplacian satisfies the estimate: \[ \lambda^2+3m\alpha(\delta-2)\lambda+2n\alpha^2\delta(1+(n-1)\delta)>0\,. \] The authors obtain as a corollary the observation that if \((M,g)\) is a compact spherical space form of constant sectional curvature \(c\) which is not a sphere, then the first eigenvalue is larger than \(2mc\). Some characterizations of spheres using the eigenvalues of the Laplacian are obtained as well.