The total second variation of Perelman's \(\mathcal W\)-functional (Q2248843)

The author considers the \(\mathcal{W}\)-functional of Perelman for a compact oriented manifold \(X\). This functional is defined on the space of Riemannian metrics on \(X\) times the space of smooth real-valued functions over \(X\). Let \(\Omega\) be a smooth volume form over \(X\). The space of all Riemannian metrics is equipped with the metric \(G=\int_X \langle ., \rangle_g \Omega\). In Theorem 1, the author computes the total second variation w.r.t. this metric \(G\) at any Riemannian metric. If the functional is restricted to the space of Kähler metrics, this formula reduces to a simpler one. Moreover, in the Kähler case the author not only allows varying the metric but also the complex structure and obtains again the total second variation (see Theorem 2). In order to carry out the general variations of Kähler structures, the author investigates their properties and asks for a certain ODE on a family of Riemannian metrics and almost complex structures when Kähler initial data lead to a smooth family of Kähler structures.