Comparison of volumes by means of the areas of central sections (Q705232)

For an origin-symmetric convex body \(K\subset {\mathbb R}^n\) let \(S_K(\xi)= \text{vol}_{n-1} (K\cap \xi^\perp)\), \(\xi \in S^{n-1}\), be the section function of~\(K\). The Busemann-Petty problem asks whether origin-symmetric convex bodies in \({\mathbb R}^n\) with smaller areas of all central hyperplane sections necessary have smaller \(n\)-dimensional volume. The solution was completed in the end of the 1990s, and the answer is affirmative if \(n\leqslant 4\) and negative if \(n\geqslant 5\). In this paper the following natural question is considered: What information about the volumes of central sections of two bodies does allow to compare the \(n\)-dimensional volumes of these bodies in all dimensions. Here the answer to this question is given in terms of certain powers of the Laplace operator applied to~\(S_K(\cdot)\). The main result reads: Let \(n\geqslant 4\) be an even integer, \(K,L\) be origin-symmetric \((n-4)\)-smooth convex bodies in~\({\mathbb R}^n\) so that, for every \(\xi\in S^{n-1}\), \( (-1)^{(n-4)/2} \Delta^{(n-4)/2} S_K(\xi)\leqslant (-1)^{(n-4)/2} \Delta^{(n-4)/2} S_L(\xi) \). Then \(\text{vol}_nK\leqslant \text{vol}_nL\).