Variational properties of the second eigenvalue of the conformal Laplacian (Q2076302)

In conformal geometry, one can study properties of the conformal Laplacian operator given by \(L_{g}=-\Delta_{g}+\frac{n-2}{4(n-1)}R_{g}\) on closed Riemannian manifolds, where \(-\Delta_{g}\) is the Laplace-Beltrami operator of the metric \(g\) and \(R_{g}\) is the scalar curvature. One such property is the spectrum of this operator, and the associated question whether there exists an extremal for the normalised eigenvalue functional \(F_k\) defined by \[ u\mapsto \lambda_{k}(u)\left(\int_Mu^{\frac{2n}{n-2}}dv_g\right)^{\frac{2}{n}}, \] where \(\lambda_k(u)\) is the min-max characterisation of the \(k\)-th eigenvalue of the operator associated to the conformally recaled metric \(g_u=u^{\frac{4}{n-2}}g\), i.e., \[ \lambda_{k}(u):=\lambda_k(L_{g_u}). \] When \(k=1\), the existence of a minimiser (or maximiser if the Yamabe invariant is negative) gives a resolution of the Yamabe problem. When \(k=2\), minimisers are studied under the name of the second Yamabe invariant [\textit{B. Ammann} and \textit{E. Humbert}, J. Funct. Anal. 235, No. 2, 377--412 (2006; Zbl 1142.53026)]. If there is more than one negative eigenvalue in the spectrum of the conformal Laplacian, and the sign of the Yamabe invariant is negative, then the second Yamabe invariant is \(-\infty\). One can therefore instead find maximisers for \(F_2\) in the case where the Yamabe invariant has negative sign. The authors study this problem in this relatively long and technical paper. With the assumption that \(0\) is not in the spectrum, they obtain in the main Theorem 1.1 the maximisers \(\bar{u}\) and the class of functions they lie. The existence of maximisers is also related to the existence of a collection of generalised eigenfunctions corresponding to \(\lambda_2(\bar u)\). Depending on the size of this collection, the authors show in Corollary 1.2 of the paper that there is either a nodal solution of the Yamabe equation when the size is one or a harmonic map into the sphere when the size is more than one. Examples of the harmonic map into the sphere are also constructed in the final section of the paper where the maximisers are also attained. The manifolds are given by products of a closed constant negative scalar curvature manifold with the unit circle.