Morse index bound for minimal two spheres (Q2074706)

The author proves that for a closed manifold of dimension at least three, with non-trivial homotopy group \(\pi_3(M)\) and a generic metric, there is a finite collection of harmonic spheres with Morse index bounded by one, with sum of their energies realizing a geometric invariant width. The collection of finitely many harmonic spheres in the main theorem is constructed by the min-max theory for the energy functional [\textit{T. H. Colding} and \textit{W. P. Minicozzi II}, Geom. Topol. 12, No. 5, 2537--2586 (2008; Zbl 1161.53352)].