On the scalar curvature of compact hypersurfaces (Q1969094)

In the paper under review, by using the method of integral formulas, the authors prove the following: Let \(M\) be a compact and connected hypersurface in the Euclidean space \(\mathbb{R} ^{n+1}\) with scalar curvature \(\tau\). If \(p^2 \tau \leq 1\), where \(p\) is the support function with respect to a point \(p _0\) in \(\mathbb{R} ^{n+1}\), then \(M\) is a sphere centered at \(p _0\). As a consequence the authors obtain: Under the same assumptions on \(M\) as above, if \(M\) is contained in a closed ball \(\overline {B(r)}\) and \(r^2 \tau \leq 1\), then \(M\) is the boundary of \(\overline {B(r)}\). Reviewer's remark: The same result was also obtained independently by \textit{Th. Vlachos} [Geom. Dedicata 68, 73-78 (1997; Zbl 0886.53040)], using the maximum principle for second-order elliptic operators.