Critical metrics of the volume functional with pinched curvature (Q6183833)

A Miao-Tam critical metric is a triple \((M^n,g,f)\) where \(M^n\) is an \(n\)-dimensional (for \(n\geq 3\)) compact oriented manifold with smooth boundary \(\partial M\), \(g\) is a Riemannian metric on \(M\), and \(f:M \rightarrow \mathbb R\) is a smooth function satisfying both \(f^{-1}(0)=\partial M\) and \[ -\Delta_gf+\mathrm{Hess}_gf-f\mathrm{Ric}(g)=g. \] The term critical comes from the fact that the above equation characterizes critical points for the volume function defined in \(\mathcal M_{\gamma}^R\), the set of Riemannian metrics on \(M\) with prescribed boundary metric \(\gamma\), meaning that \(\iota^*(g)=\gamma\) for every \(g\in \mathcal M_{\gamma}^R,~\iota:\partial M\rightarrow M\) the standard inclusion, and constant scalar curvature \(\mathrm{scal}(g)=R\) under the additional assumption that the first positive (Dirichlet) eingenvalue of \((n-1)\Delta_g+R\) is positive. This paper aims to understand the rigidity of Miao-Tam critical metrics \((M^n,g,f)\) under constraints on the Weyl tensor of \(g\). The Weyl tensor can be considered the traceless component of the Riemann tensor, thus not containing volume information. In light of this, the authors impose an additional constraint on the scalar curvature of \(g\), requiring that it be non-negative. Constraining the module of a perturbation of the Weyl tensor (by a multiple of the Kulkarni-Nomizu product of the traceless Ricci tensor with the metric) by the scalar curvature \(R\) of \(g\), their main result shows that \((M,g)\) is isometric to a geodesic ball in \(\mathrm{S}^n\). Their proof uses the imposed constraint to force \((M,g)\) to be Einstein. A previous rigidity result of \textit{P. Miao} and \textit{L.-F. Tam} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 363, No. 6, 2907--2937 (2011; Zbl 1222.53041)] then yields the desired conclusion.