Classical stability of direct products of spheres in gravitational systems

Classical stability of Einstein spaces S^d₁ ×?×S^d_n(d_j ? 2) against all fluctuations is investigated in euclidean gravity with a cosmological constant. It is shown that S^d is classically stable, while S^d₁ ×?× S^d_n(n ? 2) is classically unstable. As a generalization of this analysis it is proved that a compact Einstein space B₁ ×?× B_n(n ? 2) which is a direct product of each Einstein space is classically unstable. Non-Einstein spaces M² × S⁴ (M² × S² × S²) are also considered in six- dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theory and are shown to be classically stable (unstable).