Conformal metric sequences with integral-bounded scalar curvature (Q2193053)

Let \((M^n,g)\), \(n\geq3\), be a smooth compact Riemannian manifold with scalar curvature \(R(g)\), and denote by \({\mathcal C}(M,g)\) the set of conformal metrics of \(g\). For any \(g'=u^{\frac{4}{n-2}}g\in{\mathcal C}(M,g)\), \(u\) satisfies the equation \[ -\Delta_gu+c(n)R(g)u=c(n)R(g')u^{\frac{n+2}{n-2}},\tag{\(\ast\)} \] where \(c(n)=(n-2)/(4(n-1))\) and \(\Delta_g\) is the Laplace-Beltrami operator of \(g\). That equation is equivalent to \[ -\Delta_gv-\frac{n-2}4|\nabla_gv|^2+\frac{R(g)}{n-1}=\frac{R(g')}{n-1}e^v,\tag{\(\ast\ast\)} \] where \(v=\log u^{\frac4{n-2}}\). In this paper, the authors study the convergence of a sequence of manifolds by using the above equations. More precisely, they consider the convergence of a sequence \(g_k=u_k^{\frac4{n-2}}g\in{\mathcal C}(M,g)\) which satisfies \[ \text{vol}(M,g_k)=1,\quad \int_M|R(g_k)|^p dV_{gk}<\Lambda,\quad p>\frac n2,\tag{\(\ast\ast\ast\)} \] where \(n=\dim M>2\) and \(0<\Lambda\leq\lambda_1(g_k)\); here \(\lambda_1\) is the first eigenvalue of \(g_k\). The sequence \(u_k\) converges weakly in \(W^{1,0}\) to a limit \(u_0\), but \(g_k\) may blow up even when \(R(g_k)\) is a fixed constant (this is a consequence of results of \textit{S. Brendle} and \textit{F. C. Marques} [J. Differ. Geom. 81, No. 2, 225--250 (2009; Zbl 1166.53025)]). Their basic tools to study the blowup of \(u_k\) are the so-called \(\epsilon\)-regularity and the three-circle Theorem. In the first main result, it is shown that if \(g_k\) and \(u_0\) are as before, then there exists a finite set \({\mathcal S}\subset M\) such that after passing to a subsequence, \(u_k\) converges weakly to \(u_0\) in \(W^{2,p}(\Omega,g)\) for any \(\Omega\Subset M\backslash{\mathcal S}\). Moreover, \(u_0\) is positive or equivalent to 0. In the case \(u_0=0\), it is also shown that there exists a sequence \(c_k\to+\infty\), such that \(c_ku_k\) converges weakly to a limit \(G\) in \(W^{1,q}(M,g)\) for \(q\in(1,n/(n-1))\), and in \(W^{2,p}_{\mathrm{loc}}(M\backslash{\mathcal S},g)\). Moreover, \(G\) is positive and satisfies the equation \(-\Delta_gG+c(n)R(g)G=\sum_{y\in{\mathcal S}}\lambda_y\delta_y\), where \(\lambda_y\geq0\) and \(\delta_y\) is the Dirac function at \(y\). The main results of the paper can be stated, in the language of Gromov-Hausdorff limit as follows. Let \(g_k=u_k^{\frac4{n-2}}g\) satisfy \((***)\). Then: (1) After passing to a subsequence, \((M,g_k)\) converges in the sense of Gromov-Hausdorff distance to a connected metric space \((X,d)\). (2) \((X,d)=\cup_{i=0}^m(M_i,g_i)\), where \(g_i\) is a \(W^{2,p}\)-metric for each \(i\). Moreover, \((M_0,g_0)\) is conformal to \((M,g)\) of \(S^n\), \((M_i,g_i)\) is conformal to \(S^n\) for each \(i>0\), and \(M_i\cap M_j\) is empty or a single point. (3) The volume of \((M,g_k)\) converges to the volume of \((X,d)\). (4) If \(\log u_k\) is not precompact in \(C^{0,\alpha}\), then there exists \(x_k\in M\) and \(c_k\to+\infty\), such that \((M,c_kg_k,x_k)\) converges in \(C^{1,\alpha}\) to a smooth complete manifold \((M_\infty,g_\infty,x_\infty)\) with \(R(g_\infty)=0\). Moreover, \((M_\infty,g_\infty)\neq \mathbb{R}^n\), and \((M_\infty,g_\infty)\) is conformally equivalent to \((M,g)\) or \(S^n\) with finite points removed.