Refined Kato inequalities and conformal weights in Riemannian geometry (Q1568550)

Problems of geometric origin, like the Bernstein problem for minimal hypersurfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) [see \textit{R. Schoen} et. al., Acta Math. 134, 275-288 (1975; Zbl 0323.53039)], require a better estimate that the classical Kato inequality on any section \(\xi\) of a Riemann vector bundle \(E\) endowed with a metric connection \(\bigtriangledown\) over a Riemann manifold \((M,g)\): \[ |d|\xi ||\leq |\bigtriangledown \xi |, \] at any point where \(\xi\) does not vanish. Equality is achieved if and only if \(\bigtriangledown\xi\) is a multiple of \(\xi\) at that point. In this paper, the authors ``\dots attack the task of establishing explicitly the existence of refined Kato constants for the injectively elliptic first-order operators naturally defined on bundles associated to a Riemannian (spin) manifold or its nontrivial double cover \(\text{Spin}(n)\).'' They give a method to obtain the value of these refined constants, provide many examples when the number \(N\) of irreducible components of \(T^*M \oplus E\) is two. In the Appendix, they construct explicit constants in dimensions three and four. The paper includes a section on representation theoretic background and a relation between higher Casimir numbers and conformal weights of generalized gradients. For relations between the Kato inequality and others see \textit{T. Furuta} [Integral Equations Oper. Theory 29, No. 1, 1-9 (1997; Zbl 0901.47013)], and for weak Kato inequalities see \textit{A. R. Schep} [Math. Z. 190, 305-314 (1985; Zbl 0609.47050)].