Spherical metrics with conical singularities on 2-spheres (Q1622888)

This article addresses the existence of metrics of constant curvature on spheres with conical singularities. Suppose that \(\theta_1, \theta_2, \dots ,\theta_n\) are positive numbers and \(n \geq 3\). A sufficient condition for the existence of a metric of constant curvature 1 on \(S^2\) with \(n\) conical singularities of angles \(2 \pi \theta_1, 2 \pi \theta_2, \dots, 2 \pi \theta_n\) was demonstrated in \textit{G. Mondello} and \textit{D. Panov} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2016, No. 16, 4937--4995 (2016; Zbl 1446.53027)]. Here it is demonstrated that, in case \(\theta_1, \theta_2, \dots ,\theta_n \notin \mathbb{N}\), this condition is also necessary. The case where the values \(\theta_1, \theta_2, \dots ,\theta_n \in \mathbb{N}\), has been addressed by \textit{M. Kapovich} in a preprint [``Branched covers between spheres and polygonal inequalities in simplicial trees'', Univ. California (2017)]. The mixed case, where some values are integral and others are not, remains open.