Lagrangian submanifolds in complex space forms satisfying equality in the optimal inequality involving \(\delta (2, \ldots, 2)\) (Q2022367)

In the 1990s, Chen, the first-named author of the paper being reviewed, introduced an interesting sequence of Riemannian invariants \(\delta(n_1, \dots, n_k)\). Its precise definition is as follows: Suppose that \(M\) is a Riemannian \(n\)-manifold with sectional curvature \(K\), \(p\in M\), \(L\) is an \(r\)-dimensional subspace of \(T_pM\), and \(\{e_1,\dots, e_r\}\) is an orthogonal basis of \(L\). Then the scalar curvature \(\tau(L)\) of \(L\) is defined by \[ \tau(L) = \sum_{\alpha < \beta} K(e_{\alpha} \wedge e_{\beta}), \quad 1\leqslant \alpha, \beta \leqslant r. \] If \(L = T_p(M)\), then the scalar curvature \(\tau\) at \(p\) is given by \(\tau(p) = \tau(T_pM)\). For each \(k\)-tube \((n_1,\dots, n_k)\) of integers between \(2\) and \(n-1\) with \(n_1 + \dots + n_k < n\), the \(\delta(n_1,\dots, n_k)\)-invariant is defined by \[ \delta(n_1,\dots, n_k) = \tau(p) - \inf \left\{\tau(L_1) + \cdots +\tau(L_k)\right\} \] where \(L_1, \dots, L_k\) run over all \(k\) mutually orthogonal subspaces of \(T_pM\) with \(\dim L_j = n_j\) for \(j= 1,2,\dots, k\). These invariants have been used to study the question whether a given Riemannian manifold admits a minimal (or Lagrangian) isometric immersion into a real (or complex) space form by Chen and others. In particular, several necessary and intrinsic conditions for the existence of such an immersion are expressed as inequalities for these \(\delta\)-invariants in terms of the mean curvature \(H^2\), and the curvature of the ambient space form. The paper being reviewed is concerned with an inequality of the form \[ \delta(2,\dots,2) \leqslant \frac{n^2(2n-k-2)}{2(2n-k+4)} H^2 + \frac{n^2 -n - 2k}{2} c \tag{1} \] which must be satisfied by Lagrangian \(n\)-submanifolds in a complex space form \(\tilde{M}^n (4c)\), where \(H^2\) is the squared mean curvature, and \(k\) is the number of \(2\)'s in \(\delta(2,2,\dots,2)\), and \(n\geqslant 2k+1\). This inequality is a consequence of more general inequalities established by Chen, Dillen, Van der Veken, and Vrancken in the 2010s. If equality holds in (1) identically for a Lagrangian submanifold \(M\) of the complex space form \(\tilde{M}^n (4c)\), then \(M\) is said to be a \textit{\(\delta(2,\dots,2)\)-ideal Lagrangian submanifold.} The main result in the paper being reviewed is that a \(\delta(2,\dots,2)\)-ideal Lagrangian submanifold must be a minimal submanifold, provided that \(n > 2k +1\). The case \(n = 2k+1\) is also well-understood and discussed in Section 3 of the paper.