An Alexandrov-Fenchel-type inequality for hypersurfaces in the sphere (Q1689302)

The article under review deals with a version of the Alexandrov-Fenchel inequality for hypersurfaces in the sphere, c.f. [\textit{J. Scheuer} and \textit{M. Makowski}, Asian J. Math. 20, No. 5, 869--892 (2016; Zbl 1371.35101); \textit{Y. Wei} and \textit{C. Xiong}, Pac. J. Math. 277, No. 1, 219--239 (2015; Zbl 1325.53089)], see also [\textit{P. Guan} and \textit{J. Li}, Adv. Math. 221, No. 5, 1725--1732 (2009; Zbl 1170.53058); \textit{L. L. de Lima} and the first author, Ann. Henri Poincare 17, No. 4, 979--1002 (2016; Zbl 1337.83048)]. Namely, let \(\Sigma\) be a strictly convex closed orientable connected embedded hypersurface in the unite sphere \(S^n\), \(n\geq 3\). Under the inverse mean curvature flow it converges to an equator which bounds a hemisphere \(S^n_+\subset S^n\) containing \(\Sigma\). Associate to \(\Sigma\) a point \(x\in \Sigma\) which is the center of \(S^n_+\) viewed as a geodesic ball in \(S^n\). Define \(\rho_x: S^n\to \mathbb R\) by \(\rho_x(y) = \cos d(x,y)\), where \(d(x,y)\) is the geodesic distance between \(x\) and \(y\) in \(S^n\). Besides, define \(K(\Sigma):= \omega_{n-1}\left( |\Sigma| / \omega_{n-1}\right)^{n/(n-1)}\) and \(L_x(\Sigma):= n\int\limits_\Omega \rho_x d\Omega\), where \(\omega_{n-1}\) is the \((n-1)\)-volume of the unite sphere \(S^{n-1}\), \(|\Sigma|\) is the \((n-1)\)-volume of \(\Sigma\), and \(\Omega\) is the inner region bounded by \(\Sigma\) in \(S^n\). Then, the following inequality involving the mean curvature \(H\) of \(\Sigma\) holds true: \[ \int\limits_\Sigma \rho_x H d\Sigma\geq (n-1)\omega_{n-1}\left(\frac{L_x(\Sigma)}{K(\Sigma)} \right) \left[ \left(\frac{|\Sigma|}{\omega_{n-1}}\right)^{\frac{n-2}{n-1}} - \left(\frac{|\Sigma|}{\omega_{n-1}}\right)^{\frac{n}{n-1}} \right]. \] Moreover, the equality holds if and only of \(\Sigma\) is a geodesic sphere centered at \(x\). The proof is based on the use of a particular geometric quantity associated to \(\Sigma\) which turns out to be monotone decreasing under the inverse mean curvature flow and hence may be bounded from below.