Minimal hypersurfaces and bordism of positive scalar curvature metrics (Q1751024)

Let \((Y, g)\) be a compact Riemannian manifold of positive scalar curvature (psc). \textit{R. Schoen} et al. [Acta Math. 134, 275--288 (1975; Zbl 0323.53039)] showed that any closed stable minimal hypersurface \(X \subset Y\) also admits a psc-metric. In the paper under review, the authors extend this idea to the case of manifolds with boundary. In general, it is nontrivial to find a smooth stable minimal hypersurface for arbitrary \((Y, g)\). \textit{F. Morgan} [Geometric measure theory. A beginner's guide. Illustrated by James F. Bredt. 4th ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press (2009; Zbl 1179.49050)] and \textit{H. Federer} [Geometric measure theory. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1969; Zbl 0176.00801)] studied this problem and gave conditions that will ensure that a certain oriented hypersurface of \((Y, g)\) is a stable minimal surface. The corresponding result for manifolds with non-empty boundary was proved by \textit{M. Grüter} [Manuscr. Math. 58, 295--343 (1987; Zbl 0609.35012)]. Both this result by Grüter and the authors' own extension to manifolds with boundary of the result by \textit{R. Schoen} and \textit{S.-T. Yau} [Manuscr. Math. 28, 159--183 (1979; Zbl 0423.53032)] are fundamental for the main theorem of the paper under review. The authors give the following definition of psc-bordism: Let \((Y_0, g_0)\) and \((Y_1, g_1)\) be closed oriented \(n\)-manifolds with psc-metrics. Then \((Y_0, g_0)\) and \((Y_1, g_1)\) are psc-bordant if there is a compact oriented \((n+1)\)-dimensional manifold \((Z, \overline{g})\) which satisfies the following two conditions: 1) The manifold \(Z\) is an oriented bordism between \(Y_0\) and \(Y_1\). 2) The psc-metric \(\overline{g}\) restricts to \(g_i + dt^2\) near the boundary \(Y_i \subset \partial Z\) for \(i = 0, 1\). The main result of the paper is to provide new obstructions for psc-metrics to be psc-bordant.