The prescribed scalar curvature problem for metrics with unit total volume (Q476761)

In a previous work, \textit{J. L. Kazdan} and \textit{F. W. Warner} [J. Differ. Geom. 10, 113--134 (1975; Zbl 0296.53037)] proved that on any closed manifold \(X\) of dimension \(\geq 3\), every function is the scalar curvature of some metric if and only if \(X\) admits a metric of positive scalar curvature, equivalently, if and only if the Yamabe invariant \(\mu(X)\) is positive. In another work, O. Kobayashi considered a modified problem with metrics of total volume equal to 1. He proved that for any closed manifold \(X\) of dimension \(\geq 3\) with \(\mu(X)>0\), any function \(f\) which is not a constant larger or equal to \(\mu(X)\) is the scalar curvature of some metric with total volume equal to 1. In the case \(\mu(X)\leq 0\), a function \(f\) is the scalar curvature of a metric with total volume equal to 1 if and only if \(f<\mu(X)\), or \(f\leq\mu(X)\), respectively. In the present paper, the result by O. Kobayashi is completed with the following case: For any closed manifold \(X\) of dimension \(\geq 3\) with \(\mu(X)>0\), any constant function \(f\) which is larger than or equal to \(\mu(X)\) is the scalar curvature of some metric with total volume equal to 1.