Two-bump axisymmetric solutions of the Nirenberg problem

Abstract

In this paper, we revisit the axisymmetric Nirenberg problem for certain prescribed scalar curvature functions whose critical points include the north and south poles and whose order of flatness at both points is $n-2$. It has been known for some time that the solution set is compact when the parameter points $(K_1,K_2,a_1,a_2)\in\mathbb{R}^4$, determined by the first two leading expansions of the prescribed scalar curvature functions at the poles, stay away from a critical three-dimensional hypersurface $Σ^0$, and that loss of compactness occurs near $Σ^0$. We construct, in dimensions $n \geq 4$, two-bump axisymmetric solutions for parameter points sufficiently close to $Σ^0$ from one side, where the relevant side is determined by the next-order flatness terms. This gives a one-sided refinement of the previously known blow-up phenomenon near the critical hypersurface $Σ^0$: two-bump blow-up occurs from this side, whereas the solution set remains compact on the opposite side.