Minimal hypersurfaces and bordism of positive scalar curvature metrics

Differential geometry of immersions (minimal, prescribed curvature, tight, etc.) (53C42) Surgery and handlebodies (57R65) Elliptic equations on manifolds, general theory (58J05) Spectral problems; spectral geometry; scattering theory on manifolds (58J50)

Abstract: Let

(Y, g)

be a compact Riemannian manifold of positive scalar curvature (psc). It is well-known, due to Schoen-Yau, that any closed stable minimal hypersurface of

Y

also admits a psc-metric. We establish an analogous result for stable minimal hypersurfaces with free boundary. Furthermore, we combine this result with tools from geometric measure theory and conformal geometry to study psc-bordism. For instance, assume

(Y_{0}, g_{0})

and

(Y_{1}, g_{1})

are closed psc-manifolds equipped with stable minimal hypersurfaces

X_{0} s u b s e t Y_{0}

and

X_{1} s u b s e t Y_{1}

. Under natural topological conditions, we show that a psc-bordism

gives rise to a psc-bordism between

X_{0}

and

X_{1}

equipped with the psc-metrics given by the Schoen-Yau construction.

Review text

Let \((Y, g)\) be a compact Riemannian manifold of positive scalar curvature (psc). \textit{R. Schoen} et al. [Acta Math. 134, 275--288 (1975; Zbl 0323.53039)] showed that any closed stable minimal hypersurface \(X \subset Y\) also admits a psc-metric. In the paper under review, the authors extend this idea to the case of manifolds with boundary. In general, it is nontrivial to find a smooth stable minimal hypersurface for arbitrary \((Y, g)\). \textit{F. Morgan} [Geometric measure theory. A beginner's guide. Illustrated by James F. Bredt. 4th ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press (2009; Zbl 1179.49050)] and \textit{H. Federer} [Geometric measure theory. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1969; Zbl 0176.00801)] studied this problem and gave conditions that will ensure that a certain oriented hypersurface of \((Y, g)\) is a stable minimal surface. The corresponding result for manifolds with non-empty boundary was proved by \textit{M. Grüter} [Manuscr. Math. 58, 295--343 (1987; Zbl 0609.35012)]. Both this result by Grüter and the authors' own extension to manifolds with boundary of the result by \textit{R. Schoen} and \textit{S.-T. Yau} [Manuscr. Math. 28, 159--183 (1979; Zbl 0423.53032)] are fundamental for the main theorem of the paper under review. The authors give the following definition of psc-bordism: Let \((Y_0, g_0)\) and \((Y_1, g_1)\) be closed oriented \(n\)-manifolds with psc-metrics. Then \((Y_0, g_0)\) and \((Y_1, g_1)\) are psc-bordant if there is a compact oriented \((n+1)\)-dimensional manifold \((Z, \overline{g})\) which satisfies the following two conditions: 1) The manifold \(Z\) is an oriented bordism between \(Y_0\) and \(Y_1\). 2) The psc-metric \(\overline{g}\) restricts to \(g_i + dt^2\) near the boundary \(Y_i \subset \partial Z\) for \(i = 0, 1\). The main result of the paper is to provide new obstructions for psc-metrics to be psc-bordant.

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