- THE NECKPINCH 59
For n = 2 we get
W(s)^2
--n · R -> n - 1 - 2B = 1 - 2B.
To estimate a, we write
a= WWss - Ws^2 + 1 = "2(W^1 2 )ss - 2Ws^2 + 1,
which implies that
B2s2
a = B - 2 A+ Bs2 + 1,
hence that 1 - B < a < 1 + B. D
Now for A and B chosen as above, we define
, _. _ { W (s) if Isl ::; SA,B
'l/JA' B(s)- mm{W(s)coss}- cos S 1 .fS A,B < I I < S _ 7r 12 ,
where SA,B is the unique positive solution of cos s = v A+ Bs^2. The
function ,(/; A,B is piecewise smooth an satisfies I ts,(/; A,B I ::; 1 for all s E
[-7r/2irr/2] \ {SA,B}· Moreover, it is easy to check that the metric ds^2 +
;J;~,B9can has positive scalar curvature.
We now smooth out the corner that ,(/; A,B has at S A,B. First we construct
a new function ~ A,B which coincides with ,(/; A,B outside a small interval
IE; ~ (SA,B - E, SA,B + E) and has ~;/;A,B constant in IE. This constant
may be chosen so that ,;/; A,B is C^1. Since ,(/; A,B is increasing for 0 ::; s < 5 A,B
and decreasing thereafter, we have ts;/; A,B < 0 in IE. Moreover, we also
have I ts;/; A,B I < 1 in IE. Hence the metric ds^2 + ;/J~,B9can will have R > 0
everywhere.
Now the function ;/;~,B is C^1 ' and its second derivative ~;/;A,B has
simple jump discontinuities at SA,B ± E. So we may smooth it in arbitrarily
small neighborhoods of the two points SA,B ± E in such a way that the
smoothed function 'ljJ A,B is c=, satisfies R > 0 everywhere it is defined, and
coincides with ,(/; A,B outside of hE.
Finally, we observe that is possible to perform the construction above in
such a way that the initial neck is small enough that the solution will en-
counter a neckpinch singularity before its diameter shrinks to zero. Indeed,
it is not hard to check that one may choose A > 0 sufficiently small so that
for all A E ( 0, A), the smoothed function 'ljJ A,B will coincide with ,(/; A,B in
the interval Isl ::; a. Moreover, its derivatives ~'l/JA,B will be bounded for
all Isl~ a uniformly in A E (o,A).
We have proved the following.
LEMMA 2.44. There exists a family of initial metrics
9A,B = ds^2 + 'l/JA,B(s) 9can