Positive scalar curvature with point singularities

Abstract

We show that in every dimension n≥8, there exists a smooth closed manifold Mn that does not admit a smooth positive scalar curvature (psc) metric, but M admits an L∞-metric that is smooth and has psc outside a singular set of codimension ≥8. This provides counterexamples to a conjecture of Schoen. In fact, there are such examples of arbitrarily high dimension with only single point singularities. We also discuss related phenomena on exotic spheres and tori. In addition, we provide examples of L∞-metrics on Rn for certain n≥8 that are smooth and have psc outside the origin but cannot be smoothly approximated away from the origin by everywhere smooth Riemannian metrics of nonnegative scalar curvature. This stands in precise contrast to established smoothing results via Ricci–DeTurck flow for singular metrics with stronger regularity assumptions. Finally, as a positive result, we describe a KO-theoretic condition that obstructs the existence of L∞-metrics that are smooth and of psc outside a finite subset. This shows that closed enlargeable spin manifolds do not carry such metrics.