This note is about the
Nirenberg problem for a class of second-order fully nonlinear scalar curvature
operators, namely those that are nondegenerate symmetric functions of the
eigenvalues of the Schouten tensor. Near the standard metric in its conformal class,
we prove the nonconstrainability of their local image, local existence à la Fredholm
and local solvability under a symmetry assumption à la Moser. We include a remark
on the Kazdan–Warner identities for the σk-curvatures.
Keywords
Nirenberg problem, Schouten tensor, fully nonlinear scalar
curvature, Kazdan–Warner identities, local image,
nonconstrainability, local existence, symmetry