Prescribed \(Q\)-curvature flow on closed manifolds of even dimension (Q776039)

On a closed Riemannian manifold \((M^n, g_0)\) of even dimension \(n \ge 4\), the well-known prescribed \(Q\)-curvature problem asks whether there is a metric \(g\) conformal to \(g_0\) such that its \(Q\)-curvature associated with the GJMS operator \(\mathbf{P}_g\) [\textit{C. R. Graham} et al., J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 46, No. 3, 557--565 (1992; Zbl 0726.53010)] is equal to a given function. Letting \(g = e^{2u}g_0\), this problem is equivalent to solving \(\mathbf{P}_{0} u + Q_{0} = fe^{nu}\), where \(\mathbf{P}_{0}\) and \(Q_{0}\) denote the GJMS operator and the \(Q\)-curvature of the underlying metric \(g_0\), respectively. In this paper, the authors introduce a (negative) gradient flow corresponding to an energy functional to study the prescribed \(Q\)-curvature problem. For any function \(u \in H^{n/2}(M)\), define a functional \[ {\mathcal E}[u]:=\frac{n}{2}\int_M u \cdot \mathbf{P}_{0} u\, dv_{0} + n \int_M Q_0\, dv_0,\tag{1} \] where \(H^{n/2}(M)\) is the Sobolev space with the norm \[ \Vert u \Vert^2_{H^{n/2}(M)} = \int_M u\mathbf{P}_0 u\, dv_g + \int_M u^2\, dv_0. \] Then the authors consider a negative gradient flow for the functional (1) defined as follows \[ \frac{\partial}{\partial t} g_t = - 2 \left(Q_{g_t} - \frac{\int_M f Q_{g_t}\,dv_t}{\int_M f^2\, dv_t}f\right) g_t.\tag{2} \] In [Ann. Math. (2) 158, No. 1, 323--343 (2003; Zbl 1042.53016)] \textit{S. Brendle} considered a similar \(L^2\)-gradient flow and proved the existence of a solution which is defined to all time and converges at infinity to a metric under the assumptions that \(\mathbf{P}_0\) is positive with kernel consisting of constant functions and \(\int_M Q_0\, dv_g < (n-1)!\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{S}^n)\). Since the evolution equation (2) preserves the conformal structure, writing \(g_t = e^{2u(t)} g_0\) for some real-valued function \(u(t)\), the evolution equation for the metric \(g_t\) can be transformed into \[ \left\{\begin{array}{ll} \frac{\partial u}{\partial t} = \lambda(t) f - Q_{g_t}\,\,\,\mbox{for some \(t >0\)}\\ u(0) = u_0. \end{array}\right.\tag{3} \] Here \(\lambda(t) = \frac{\int_M f Q_{g_t}\,dv_t}{\int_M f^2\, dv_t}\) and the initial data \(u_0\) is assumed to be chosen in such a way that \(u_0 \in Y \quad \mbox{if}\quad \int_M Q_0\, dv_0 \le (n-1)!\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{S}^n),\) where \(Y = \left\{ u \in H^2(M): \int_M f e^{nu}\, dv_g = \int_M Q_0\, dv_0\right\}\) and \(u_0\in C^\infty(M) \quad \mbox{if}\quad \int_M Q_0\, dv_0 > (n-1)!\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{S}^n).\) The first main result in this paper concerns the long-time existence and convergence of the flow (3). The authors prove that, if the GJMS operator \(\mathbf{P}_0\) is positive with kernel consisting of constant functions and the metric \(g_0\) satisfies \( \int_M Q_0\, dv_0 \ne k(n-1)!\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{S}^n)\) for all positive integer \(k\), then the flow (3) has a smooth solution on \([0, \infty)\) and converges sequentially under the condition that \(\sup_M f >0\) if \(\int_M Q_0\, dv_0 >0\), \(\sup_M f>0\) and if \(\inf_M f<0\), \(\int_M Q_0\, dv_0 =0\), and \(\inf_M f <0\) if \(\int_M Q_0\, dv_0 <0\). The second result is on the prescribed \(Q\)-curvature on the \(n\)-sphere \(\mathbb{S}^n\) (see [\textit{A. Fardoun} et al., Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Cl. Sci. (5) 3, No. 1, 17--38 (2004; Zbl 1170.58306)] for \(n=2\)). Let \(G\) be the group of isometries on \(\mathbb{S}^n\) and let \(\Sigma\) be the set of fixed points of \(G\). Let \(f\) be a smooth and \(G\)-invariant function on \(\mathbb{S}^n\) with \(\sup_{\mathbb{S}^n} f >0\) and assume that \(u_0 \in Y\) is a \(G\)-invariant initial data. Under these hypotheses, the authors show that, if either \(\Sigma = \emptyset\) or \[ \sup_{x\in \Sigma} f(x) < (n-1)! \exp \left(- \frac{{\mathcal E}[u_0]}{(n-1)!\mathrm{vol}(\mathbb{S}^n)}\right), \] then the flow (3) has a solution which is defined for all time. The authors also prove uniform convergence of the flows in some special cases although the uniform convergence in time \(t\) is not guaranteed in general. More precisely, assume all hypotheses in results mentioned above and suppose that either \(\inf_M Q_0 dv_0 \ne 0\) and the problem \[ \mathbf{P}_0 u + Q_0 = f e^{nu}\tag{4} \] has a unique solution, or \(\int_M Q_0\, dv_0 <0\) and \(f \le 0\) everywhere, then all convergence statements in the results mentioned above are uniform in time. Finally, as a direct consequence of the convergence of the flow (3), one can obtain the existence of solutions to the prescribed \(Q\)-curvature equation (4).