A constant rank theorem for linear elliptic equations on the sphere with applications to the mixed Christoffel problem

Abstract: We study the mixed Christoffel problem for $C^{2,+}$ convex bodies providing sufficient conditions for its solution. Key to our approach is a constant rank theorem, following the approach developed in \cite{Guan-Ma-2003} to address the Christoffel problem, in order to ensure that the solution to a related second order linear PDE on the sphere is indeed geometric, that is, it is the support functions of a $C^{2,+}$ convex body.