Maxima of curvature functionals and the prescribed Ricci curvature problem on homogeneous spaces (Q2303825)

The author discusses the prescribed Ricci curvature problem in the framework of homogeneous spaces \(M=G/H\), where \(G\) is a compact connected Lie group and \(H\) a closed subgroup. The prescribed Ricci curvature problem consists in finding a \(G\)-invariant metric \(g\) on \(M\) that satisfies the equation \(\operatorname{Ric} g = cT\) for some \(c > 0\), where \(T\) is a given \(G\)-invariant \((0, 2)\)-tensor field. Let \(\mathcal{M}\) be the set of \(G\)-invariant Riemannian metrics on \(M\) and \(S\) be the scalar curvature functional on \(M\). In the work by the same author [J. Geom. Phys. 106, 275--283 (2016; Zbl 1341.53080)], it was shown that if the \((0, 2)\)-tensor field \(T\) lies in \(\mathcal{M}\) then a metric \(g\in \mathcal{M}\) satisfies the prescribed Ricci curvature equation for some \(c\in\mathbb{R}\) if and only if it is (up to scaling) a critical point of \(S\) on \(\mathcal{M}_T = \{h \in \mathcal{M}: \operatorname{tr}_h T = 1\}\). If \(H\) is a maximal connected Lie subgroup of \(G\), the functional \(S\) attains its greatest value on \(\mathcal{M}_T\) at some \(g\in \mathcal{M}_T\), as shown by the author in the above mentioned paper. The present paper focuses on the case where the maximality assumption on \(H\) does not hold, and a new sufficient condition for \(S\) to attain its greatest value on \(\mathcal{M}_T\) is obtained. After developing a nice Lie algebraic reduction of the problem, applications are given for two major clases of homogeneous spaces, namely generalized Wallach spaces and certain classes of generalized flag manifolds.