On Cheeger's inequality (Q1312814)

A general lower bound for the first eigenvalue \(\lambda_ 1\) of a closed Riemannian manifold, \(M\), is given by the inequality \(\lambda_ 1 \geq h^ 2/4\), where \(h(M)\) is the Cheeger constant of \(M\). An upper bound established by Peter Buser for \(\lambda_ 1\) is obtained from the inequality \(\lambda_ 1 \leq c_ 1 h + c_ 2 h^ 2\), where \(c_ 1\) and \(c_ 2\) depend only on a lower bound on the Ricci curvature. Cheeger's inequality also holds for complete, noncompact manifolds. The authors investigate the question of the sharpness of Cheeger's inequality and several results are obtained. One of these results holds for compact \(n\)-manifolds \(M\), with \(n = 2\) or 3. They establish the existence of a constant \(K(n)\) such that if \(\lambda_ 1 > K(n) \| \text{Ricc} \|_ 2 / \sqrt{\text{Vol}(M)}\), then the Cheeger constant of \(M\) is bounded above and below in terms of the spectrum of \(M\). It is shown in a separate paper that \(K(n)\) cannot be made arbitrarily small. Other results establish an upper bound for \(h(S_ p)\), for certain arithmetic Riemann surfaces \(S_ p\), and also the existence of two isospectral Riemann surfaces \(S_ 1\) and \(S_ 2\) whose Cheeger constants satisfy \(h(S_ 1) \neq h(S_ 2)\).