The sharp $σ_k$-curvature inequality on locally conformally flat manifolds in quantitative form

RESUMO

Let $2\leq k<n/2$ and let $(M^n,[g])$ be a smooth, closed, connected, and locally conformally flat Riemannian manifold with a $k$-admissible metric in the conformal class $[g]$. We prove a stability result of the $\sigma_k$-curvature inequality on $M$, in the sense that if equality is almost satisfied for some conformal metric, then its conformal factor is close to a minimizer of the inequality. Closeness is measured quantitatively in terms of Sobolev norms of the conformal factor, namely with respect to the $W^{1,2}$- and the $W^{1,2k}$-norm. In the non-degenerate case, these norms come with optimal exponents $2$ and $2k$, respectively, whereas in general the exponents are $2+\gamma$ and $\max\{2k,2+\gamma\}$ for some $\gamma\geq 0$ originating from a Łojasiewicz inequality. This extends a previous result by Frank and the author from $k=2$ and the sphere to $2\leq k<n/2$ and the full class of manifolds originally considered by Viaclovsky. It also extends a previous result by Engelstein--Neumayer--Spolaor from $k=1$ to the setting of fully non-linear scalar curvatures.