On the stability of Einstein manifolds (Q2254175)

The stability of Einstein manifolds is studied due to its importance in mathematical general relativity, Ricci flow analysis, spin manifolds, Kähler manifolds, etc. The stability property is defined by the condition \(S"\leq 0\) imposed on the second variation of the Einstein-Hilbert action. Curvature conditions for the stability of Einstein manifolds with respect to the Einstein-Hilbert action are given in terms of quantities involving the Weyl tensor and the Bochner tensor. The stability is established in terms of the Weyl tensor which measures the deviation of an Einstein manifold from being of constant curvature. An explicit representation of the Gauss-Bonnet formula for six-dimensional Einstein manifolds is used to prove a stability criterion for such manifolds involving the Euler characteristic. Stability criteria for Kähler manifolds are proven in terms of the Bochner curvature tensor, which is an analog of the Weyl tensor. The conditions under which a Kähler manifold is strict stable in the non-positive case and stable in the positive case are also discussed.