A lower bound for \(\lambda _ 1\) on manifolds with boundary (Q1822066)

Let (M,g) be a compact n-dimensional Riemannian manifold with boundary, and \(\lambda_ 1=\lambda_ 1(M,g)\) the first eigenvalue of the (positive) Laplacian on functions that vanish on \(\partial M\). In this paper the authors prove that \[ (1)\quad \lambda_ 1\geq E(M,g)=\frac{n\pi^ 2}{\alpha (n-1)}\inf_{x\in Int M}\int_{U_ x}\ell^{-2}(v)dv_ x \] where \(\alpha\) (n-1) is the volume of the unit (n-1)-sphere and for v in the unit tangent sphere \(U_ x\) at \(x\in Int M\), \(\ell (v)\leq \infty\) is the length of the maximal geodesic in Int M tangent to v. The main tools in the proof of (1) are a formula of \textit{L. A. Santaló} [Integral geometry and geometric probability. Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Its Applications (1976; Zbl 0342.53049)] and the expression for \(\lambda_ 1\) coming from the Poincaré inequality \[ \lambda_ 1=\inf (\int_{M}| \nabla f|^ 2 dx/\int_{M}f^ 2 dx) \] where f runs over all non-trivial continuous functions on M which are \(C^{\infty}\) on Int M and vanish on \(\partial M\) [\textit{P. Li}, Semin. differential geometry, Ann. Math. Stud. 102, 73-83 (1982; Zbl 0492.53031)]. Moreover the authors show that \(\lambda_ 1=E(M,g)\) if and only if (M,g) is isometric to a Riemannian hemisphere bundle. Finally they discuss the case of non-compact manifolds.