The Yamabe problem for higher order curvatures (Q2463362)

For a compact Riemannian manifold \((M,g_0)\) the \(k\)-Yamabe problem is to prove the existence of a conformal metric \(g= g_v= v^{{4\over n-2}}g_0\) which solves the equation \[ \sigma_k(\lambda(A_g))= 1\tag{\(*\)} \] on \(M\), where \(1\leq k\leq n\) and \(\lambda= (\lambda_1,\dots, \lambda_n)\) are the eigenvalues of the Schouten tensor \[ A_g= {1\over n-2} \biggl(\text{Ric}_g- {R_g\over 2(n-1)} g\biggr)\quad\text{and}\quad \sigma_k(\lambda)= \sum_{i_1<\cdots< i_k} \lambda_{i_1}\cdots \lambda_{i_k} \] denotes the \(k\)th elementary symmetric polynomial. When \(k= 1\), it is the well-known Yamabe problem. If \(g\) satisfies the equation \((*)\), \(A_g\) takes the form \({2\over (n-2)v} V\), where \(v\) is the solution of \[ L(v)= v^{(1-k){n+2\over n-2}} \sigma_k(\lambda(V))= v^{{n+2\over n-2}} \] and \[ V= -\nabla^2 v+{n\over n-2} {\nabla v\otimes\nabla v\over 2}- {1\over n-2} {|\nabla v|^2\over v} g_0+ {n-2\over 2} vA_g. \] Assuming that \(|g_v|_k= \{|g|, g= v^{{4\over n-2}} g_0\), \(v> 0\}\neq\emptyset\) and \(L\) is variational, the authors prove that the equation \((*)\) is solvable for \(2\leq k\leq n/2\). It should here be noted that the existence of a solution is known [\textit{R. Schoen} and \textit{S.-T. Yau}, Lectures on differential geometry, International Press (1994; Zbl 0830.53001)] for the case \(k> n/2\) together for the case \(k= 2\), \(n= 4\) for locally conformally flat manifolds.