On the space of initial values strictly satisfying the dominant energy condition (Q6191270)

According to general relativity, the universe can be modeled by a time-oriented Lorentzian manifold \((N , g)\) whose large-scale behavior is governed by the Einstein equation \[ T = \mathrm{Ric}^g-\frac{1}{2} \mathrm{Scal}^g g , \] where \(T\) denotes the energy-momentum tensor. Suppose now that \((N , g)\) contains \(M\) as a space-like hypersurface. On \(M\), the induced Riemannian metric \(h\) and the second fundamental form \(k\), defined with respect to the future-pointing unit normal \(e_0\), form a so-called initial value pair \((h, k)\). The Gauss-Codazzi equations imply that it the pair is subject to the Einstein constraints \[ \begin{cases} 2\rho = \mathrm{Scal}^h +(\mathrm{tr} k)^2 - ||k||^2,\\ j = \mathrm{div}(k) -\mathrm{d}\mathrm{tr} k \ , \end{cases} \] where \(\rho=T(e_0,e_0)\) is the energy density and \(j=T(e_0, \cdot)_{|_{TM}}\) is the momentum density. A pair \((h, k)\) is said to satisfy the dominant energy condition if \(\rho \geq ||j||\). In this article, the author considers the case where \(M\) is a compact spin manifold of dimension \(n\geq 2\) and studies the space \(I^+(M)\) of initial values \((h, k)\) for which the dominant energy condition holds strictly, i.e., \(\rho > ||j||\) everywhere, as a subspace of the space \(I(M)\) of all initial value pairs, endowed with the \(C^\infty\)-topology. For example, the author shows that: \begin{itemize} \item If \(M\) is a compact spin manifold of dimension \(n \geq 6\) that admits a metric of positive scalar curvature, then \(I^+(M)\) is not contractible. \item If \(M\) is a compact spin manifold of dimension \(n\geq 2\) that does not carry a positive scalar curvature metric, then \(I^+(M)\) is not connected. \end{itemize}