On static manifolds and related critical spaces with zero radial Weyl curvature (Q2297589)

The authors study compact Riemannian manifolds \((M, g)\) that admit a nonconstant solution to the system of the equation \[ \mathrm{Hess } f - f\mathrm{ Ric} - (\Delta f) g = \mu\mathrm{ Ric} + \lambda g \] with zero radial Weyl curvature, i.e., \(W(\cdot, \cdot, \cdot, \nabla f) = 0\). Here \(\mathrm{Ric}\) denotes the Ricci tensor and \((\mu, \lambda)\) are two real parameters. The authors consider three special types of pairs \((\mu, \lambda)\). In the case \((\mu, \lambda)=(0,0)\) together with vanishing of \(f\) on the boundary \(\partial M\), the system is reduced to the positive static space. The authors prove that, if \((M^n, g, f)\), \(n \ge 5\), is a compact \((\partial M \ne \emptyset\)), oriented, connected positive static triple with scalar curvature \(R = n(n-1)\) satisfying \(W(\cdot, \cdot, \cdot, \nabla f) = 0\), then \((M, g,f)\) is covered by one of the static triples described below: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] The standard hemisphere \(\mathbb{S}^n_+\) with canonical metric. \item[(2)] The standard cylinder over \(\mathbb{S}^{n-1}\) with the product metric \[ \left(M = [0, \frac{\pi}{\sqrt{n}}]\times\mathbb{S}^{n-1}, \;\;g = dt^2 + \frac{n-2}{n}g_{\mathbb{S}^{n-1}}\right). \] \item[(3)] The Schwarzschild space defined by \[ \left(M = [r_1, r_2]\times\mathbb{S}^{n-1}, \;\;g = \frac{1}{1-2mt^{n-2}-t^2} dt^2 + t^2 g_{\mathbb{S}^{n-1}}\right), \] where \(m \in (0, \sqrt{\frac{(n-2)^{n-2}}{n^n}})\) is a real constant. When \((M, g)\) is Bach-flat, this result was proved in [\textit{J. Qing} and \textit{W. Yuan}, J. Geom. Phys. 74, 18--27 (2013; Zbl 1287.83016)]. \end{itemize} The second case is Miao-Tam critical metrics [\textit{P. Miao} and \textit{L.-F. Tam}, Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 36, No. 2, 141--171 (2009; Zbl 1175.49043); Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 363, No. 6, 2907--2937 (2011; Zbl 1222.53041)] corresponding to \((\mu, \lambda) = (0,1)\). In this case, the authors shows that, if \((M, g, f), n \ge 5\), is a simply connected Miao-Tam critical metric with boundary isometric to a standard sphere \(\mathbb{S}^{n-1}\) satisfying \(W(\cdot, \cdot, \cdot, \nabla f) = 0\), then \((M, g)\) is isometric to a geodesic ball in a simply connected space form \(\mathbb{R}^n, \mathbb{H}^n\) or \(\mathbb{S}^n\). The final case is the critical point equation of the total scalar curvature functional restricted to constant scalar curvature and unit volume which corresponds to \((\mu, \lambda) = (1, - R/n)\). In this case, the authors prove that, if \((g,f)\) is a solution to the critical point equation and \((M,g)\) is a compact \(n\)-dimensional manifold without boundary satisfying \(W(\cdot, \cdot, \cdot, \nabla f) = 0\), then \((M, g)\) is Einstein and so it is isometric to a standard sphere \(\mathbb{S}^n\).