On the $\sigma_{k}$-Nirenberg problem

We consider the problem of prescribing the $\sigma_k$-curvature on the standard sphere $\mathbb{S}^n$ with $n \geq 3$. We prove existence and compactness theorems when $k \geq n/2$. This extends an earlier result of Chang, Han and Yang for $n = 4$ and $k = 2$.