Abstract. We extend the method of harmonic transplantation from Euclidean domains to spaces of constant positive or negative curvature. To this end the structure of the Green's function of the corresponding LaplaceBeltrami operator is investigated. By means of isoperimetric inequalities we derive complementary estimates for its distribution function. We apply the method of harmonic transplantation to the question of whether the best Sobolev constant for the critical exponent is attained, i.e. whether there is an extremal function for the best Sobolev constant in spaces of constant curvature. A fairly complete answer is given, based on a concentration-compactness argument and a Pohozaev identity. The result depends on the curvature.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.