A positive energy theorem for fourth-order gravity

In this paper we prove a positive energy theorem related to fourth-order gravitational theories, which is a higher-order analogue of the classical ADM positive energy theorem of general relativity. We will also show that, in parallel to the corresponding situation in general relativity, this result intersects several important problems in geometric analysis. For instance, it underlies positive mass theorems associated to the Paneitz operator, playing a similar role in the positive Q-curvature conformal prescription problem as the Schoen–Yau positive energy theorem does for the Yamabe problem. Several other links to Q-curvature analysis and rigidity phenomena are established.