A geometrical mass and its extremal properties for metrics on \(S^2\) (Q2566604)

The paper provides some \(2\)-dimensional analogon to the notion of ``positive mass'' as it enters conformal geometry in dimensions \(3,4,5\) via \textit{R. Schoen}'s solution of the Yamabe problem (using the positive mass theorem) [J. Differ. Geom. 20, 479--495 (1984; Zbl 0576.53028)]. The geometric quantity defined on closed \(2\)-manifolds is the ``geometric mass'' given by \(GM(x):=m(x)-{1\over2\pi}\Delta^{-1}K(x)\), where \(K\) is the scalar curvature of the manifold and \(m(x)=\lim_{y\to x} [G(x,y)+{1\over2\pi}\log d(x,y)]\), called ``Robin's mass'' by the author, is the manifold's Green's function at \(x\) reduced by its obvious singular asymptotics. It turns out that \(GM(x)\) is actually independent of \(x\) if the manifold is a sphere, while on manifolds of higher genus it usually does depend on \(x\). In the spherical case, \(GM\) is minimized (volumes being fixed) at the standard round metric.