No label defined (Q4216680)

Let \((M^m,g)\) be a compact Riemannian manifold and let \(\lambda_1^p(M^m,g)\) be the first nonzero eigenvalue of the Laplace operator \(d\delta+\delta d\) on the space of smooth \(p\)-forms. Normalize the volume of \((M,g)\) to be \(1\). Berger wondered if there exists a constant \(C(M)>0\) so that \(\lambda_1(M^m,g)\leq C(M)\) for all metrics \(g\) on \(M\). This conjecture is known to be false for \(2\leq p\leq m-2\) and for \(p=0\); the case \(p=1\) is left open. The author illustrates this phenomena by constructing a 1-parameter family of metrics \(g_t\) on an arbitrary manifold of dimension \(m\geq 2\) with volume of \((M,g_t)=1\) so that if \(p=0,1,m-1,m\), then \(\lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}\lambda_1^p(M,g_t)=0\) and so that if \(2\leq p\leq m-2\) and \(m\geq 4\), then \(\lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}\lambda_1^p(M,g_t)=\infty\).