Spectral estimates and discreteness of spectra under Riemannian submersions (Q2303732)

Let \(p:M_2\to M_1\) be a Riemannian submersion. For \(M\) an arbitrary Riemannian manifold, let \(\lambda_0(M)\) denote the bottom of the spectrum of the associated Laplace-Beltrami operator. The article under review studies the connections between the spectra of the Laplace-Beltrami of \(M_1\), \(M_2\), and the fibers, mainly focused in the case when \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) are non-compact. The first main result states that if there is a constant \(C\) such that \(C\leq 2\sqrt{\lambda_0(M_1)}\) and the mean curvature of the fibers satisfies \(\|H\|\leq C\), then \[ \lambda_0(M_2) \geq \left( \sqrt{\lambda_0(M_1)} - C/2 \right)^2 + \inf_{x\in M_1} \lambda_0(F_x), \] where \(F_x=p^{-1}(x)\) is the fiber of \(p\) over \(x\in M_1\). This nice result generalizes in various aspects Theorem. 5.1 in [\textit{M. Cavalcante} and \textit{F. Manfio}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 146, No. 7, 2963--2971 (2018; Zbl 1390.35201)]. The second main result (Theorem 1.2) is a bit technical since it deals with certain Schrödinger operator on \(M_1\) in place of the Laplacian. As a first consequence of this result, the author obtained that if \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) are complete and the fibers are closed of bounded mean curvature \(\|H\|\leq C\), then \[ \lambda_0(M_2) \leq \left( \sqrt{\lambda_0(M_1)} + C/2 \right)^2, \] among other estimates. It was previously shown in [\textit{G. Bessa} et al., J. Geom. Anal. 22, No. 2, 603--620 (2012; Zbl 1257.58018)] that if \(p\) has minimal fibers, then \(M_1\) has discrete spectrum if and only if \(M_2\) has discrete spectrum. The second application of Theorem 1.2 ensures the same equivalence under the weaker assumption that the fibers have bounded mean curvature.