Let (M^n_i,g_i,p_i) be a sequence of smooth pointed complete n-dimensional Riemannian Manifolds with uniform bounds on the sectional curvatures and let (X,d,p) be a metric space such that (M^n_i,g_i,p_i) -> (X,d,p) in the Gromov-Hausdorff sense. Let O \subseteq X be the set of points x \in X such that there exists a neighborhood of x which is isometric to an open set in a Riemannian orbifold and let B = O^c be the complement set. Then we have the sharp estimates dim_Haus(B) \leq min{n-5, dim_Haus(X)-3}, and further for arbitrary x \in X we have that x \in O iff a neighborhood of x has bounded Alexandroff curvature. In particular, if n \leq 4 then B is empty and (X,d) is a Riemannian orbifold. Our main application is to prove that a collapsed limit of Einstein four manifolds has a smooth Riemannian orbifold structure away from a finite number of points, and that near these points the curvatures has a -dist^{-2} lower bound.
This is an expositiry article on collapsing theory in Riemannian geometry written for the Modern Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics (MEMPhys). We focus on describing the geometric and topological structure of collapsed/non-collapsed regions in Riemannian manifold under various curvature assumptions. Numerous applications of collapsing theory to Riemannian geometry are NOT discussed in this survey.
In this paper we study collapsing sequences M_{i}-> X of Riemannian manifolds with curvature bounded or bounded away from a controlled subset. We introduce a structure over X which in an appropriate sense is dual to the N-structure of Cheeger, Fukaya and Gromov. As opposed to the N-structure, which live over the M_{i} themselves, this structure lives over X and allows for a convenient notion of global convergence as well as the appropriate background structure for doing analysis on X. This structure is new even in the case of uniformly bounded curvature and as an application we give a generali…
Let g_t be a family of constant scalar curvature metrics on the total space of a Riemannian submersion obtained by shrinking the fibers of an original metric g, so that the submersion collapses as t approaches 0 (i.e., the total space converges to the base in the Gromov-Hausdorff sense). We prove that, under certain conditions, there are at least 3 unit volume constant scalar curvature metrics in the conformal class [g_t] for infinitely many t's accumulating at 0. This holds, e.g., for homogeneous metrics g_t obtained via Cheeger deformation of homogeneous fibrations with fibers of positive sc…
Consider a closed Riemannian $n$-manifold $M$ admitting a negatively curved Riemannian metric. We show that for every Riemannian metric on $M$ of sufficiently small volume, there is a point in the universal cover of $M$ such that the volume of every ball of radius $r \geq 1$ centered at this point is greater or equal to the volume of the ball of the same radius in the hyperbolic $n$-space. We also give an interpretation of this result in terms of macroscopic scalar curvature. This result, which holds more generally in the context of polyhedral length spaces, is related to a question of Guth. I…
In my talk I will discuss the following results which were obtained in joint work with Wilderich Tuschmann. 1. For any given numbers $m$, $C$ and $D$, the class of $m$-dimensional simply connected closed smooth manifolds with finite second homotopy groups which admit a Riemannian metric with sectional curvature $\vert K \vert\le C$ and diameter $\le D$ contains only finitely many diffeomorphism types. 2. Given any $m$ and any $δ>0$, there exists a positive constant $i_0=i_0(m,δ)>0$ such that the injectivity radius of any simply connected compact $m$-dimensional Riemannian manifold with finite …
In the last two decades, one of the most important developments in Riemannian geometry is the collapsing theory of Cheeger-Fukaya-Gromov. A Riemannian manifold is called (sufficiently) collapsed if its dimension looks smaller than its actual dimension while its sectional curvature remains bounded (say a very thin flat torus looks like a circle in a bared eyes). We will survey the development of collapsing theory and its applications to Riemannian geometry since 1990. The common starting point for all of these is the existence of a singular fibration structure on collapsed manifolds. However, n…
We show that for certain locally collapsing initial data with Ricci curvature bounded below, one could start the Ricci flow for a definite period of time. This provides a Ricci flow smoothing tool, with which we find topological conditions that detect the collapsing infranil fiber bundles over controlled Riemannian orbifolds among those locally collapsing regions with Ricci curvature bounded below. In the appendix, we also provide a local distance distortion estimate for certain Ricci flows with collapsing initial data.
Restrictions are obtained on the topology of a compact divergence-free null hypersurface in a four-dimensional Lorentzian manifold whose Ricci tensor is zero or satisfies some weaker conditions. This is done by showing that each null hypersurface of this type can be used to construct a family of three-dimensional Riemannian metrics which collapses with bounded curvature and applying known results on the topology of manifolds which collapse. The result is then applied to general relativity, where it implies a restriction on the topology of smooth compact Cauchy horizons in spacetimes with vario…
Let (M,g) be a Riemannian manifold with an isometric action of the Lie group G. Let g_G be a left invariant metric on G. Consider the diagonal G action on the product $M \times G$ with the metric g+g_G. In this paper we calculate the formula for the metric h on the quotient space $(M \times G) / G$; the map from g to h is the metric transformation. In particular when g is the hyperbolic metric on H^2 and G=S^1, the transformed metric h is Hamilton's cigar soliton metric studied in the Ricci flow.
We consider Riemannian 4-manifolds that Gromov-Hausdorff converge to a lower dimensional limit space, with the Ricci tensor going to zero. Among other things, we show that if the limit space is two dimensional then under some mild assumptions, the limiting four dimensional geometry away from the curvature blowup region is semiflat Kaehler.
We survey some recent developments in the study of collapsing Riemannian manifolds with Ricci curvature bounded below, especially the locally bounded Ricci covering geometry and the Ricci flow smoothing techniques. We then prove that if a Calabi-Yau manifold is sufficiently volume collapsed with bounded diameter and sectional curvature, then it admits a Ricci-flat Kähler metrictogether with a compatible pure nilpotent Killing structure: this is related to an open question of Cheeger, Fukaya and Gromov.
In this short note, exploits of constructions of $\mathcal{F}$-structures coupled with technology developed by Cheeger-Gromov and Paternain-Petean are seen to yield a procedure to compute minimal entropy, minimal volume, Yamabe invariant and to study collapsing with bounded sectional curvature on inequivalent smooth structures and inequivalent PL-structures within a fixed homeomorphism class. We compute these fundamental Riemannian invariants for every high-dimensional smooth manifold on the homeomorphism class of any smooth manifold that admits a Riemannian metric of zero sectional curvature.…
We obtain new topological information about the local structure of collapsing under a lower sectional curvature bound. As an application we prove a new sphere theorem and obtain a partial result towards the conjecture that not every Alexandrov space can be obtained as a limit of a sequence of Riemannian manifolds with sectional curvature bounded from below.
We give a purely geometrical smooth characterization of closed infrasolv manifolds and orbifolds by showing that, up to diffeomorphism, these are precisely the spaces which admit a collapse with bounded curvature and diameter to compact flat orbifolds. Moreover, we distinguish irreducible smooth fake tori geometrically from standard ones by proving that the former have non-vanishing D-minimal volume.
This note is a continuation of the author's paper \cite{Li}. We prove that if the metric $g$ of a 4-manifold has bounded Ricci curvature and the curvature has no local concentration everywhere, then it can be smoothed to a metric with bounded sectional curvature. Here we don't assume the bound for local Sobolev constant of $g$ and hence this smoothing result can be applied to the collapsing case.
In this work we prove convergence results of sequences of Riemannian $4$-manifolds with almost vanishing $L^2$-norm of a curvature tensor and a non-collapsing bound on the volume of small balls. In Theorem 1.1, we consider a sequence of closed Riemannian $4$-manifolds, whose $L^2$-norm of the Riemannian curvature tensor tends to zero. Under the assumption of a uniform non-collapsing bound and a uniform diameter bound, we prove that there exists a subsequence that converges with respect to the Gromov-Hausdorff topology to a flat manifold. In Theorem 1.2, we consider a sequence of closed Riemann…
In this paper we investigate the behavior of three-dimensional homogeneous solutions of the cross curvature flow using Riemannian groupoids. The Riemannian groupoid technique, introduced by John Lott, allows us to investigate the long term behavior of collapsing solutions of the flow, producing soliton solutions in the limit. We also review Lott's results on the long term behavior of three-dimensional homogeneous solutions of Ricci flow, demonstrating the coordinates we choose and reviewing the groupoid technique. We find cross curvature soliton metrics on Sol and Nil, and show that the cross …
We prove a formula involving the scalar curvature of a Riemannian manifold endowed with a distribution in terms of an adapted orthonormal frame for its tangent bundle. Using the formula, we then investigate the effect of collapsing the metric along the distribution on the scalar curvature. This result contributes to the question of finding a positive scalar curvature metric on a Riemannian manifold.
In this paper, we study the collapsing behaviour of negative Kähler-Einstein metrics along degenerations of canonical polarized manifolds. We prove that for a toroidal degeneration of canonical polarized manifolds with the total space $\mathbb{Q}$-factorial, the Kähler-Einstein metrics on fibers collapse to a lower dimensional complete Riemannian manifold in the pointed Gromov-Hausdorff sense by suitably choosing the base points. Furthermore, the most collapsed limit is a real affine Kähler manifold.
Let $M_j$ be a sequence of Riemannian manifolds with sectional curvature bound below collapsing to a compact Alexandrov space $X$ of dimension $k$. Suppose that all but finitely many points of $X$ are $(k,δ)$-strained and that the space of directions at each exceptional point contains $k+1$ directions making obtuse angles with each other. We prove that $M_j$ admits a structure of locally trivial fibration over $X$ for sufficiently large $j$. The same is true for collapsing sequences of Alexandrov spaces such that the infimum of the volume of the spaces of directions is sufficiently large relat…
In those lecture notes, we review some applications of heat semigroups methods in Riemannian and sub-Riemannian geometry. The notes contain parts of courses taught at Purdue University, Institut Henri Poincaré, Levico Summer School and Tata Institute.
We study a Killing spinor type equation on spin Riemannian flows. We prove integrability conditions and partially classify those Riemannian flows $M$ carrying non-trivial solutions to that equation in case $M$ is a local Riemannian product, a Sasakian manifold or 3-dimensional.
This article provides a pedagogically oriented introduction to geometric (Clifford) calculus on pseudo-Riemannian manifolds. Unlike usual approaches to the topic, which rely on embedding the geometric algebra either within a tensor algebra or within a vector manifold framework, here we define geometric calculus directly, by elementary methods. In particular we use an axiomatic approach that directly parallels textbook introductions to general relativity and pseudo-Riemannian geometry, so that no structure outside the metrical Clifford bundle of the manifold need be introduced. On this basis we…
The regularity of limit spaces of Riemannian manifolds with L^p curvature bounds, $p > n/2$, is investigated under no apriori non-collapsing assumption. A regular subset, defined by a local volume growth condition for a limit measure, is shown to carry the structure of a Riemannian manifold. One consequence of this is a compactness theorem for Riemannian manifolds with $L^p$ curvature bounds and an a priori volume growth assumption in the pointed Cheeger-Gromov topology. A different notion of convergence is also studied, which replaces the exhaustion by balls in the pointed Cheeger-Gromov topo…
We prove that an isometric action of a Lie group on a Riemannian manifold admits a resolution preserving the transverse geometry if and only if the action is infinitesimally polar. We provide applications concerning topological simplicity of several classes of isometric actions, including polar and variationally complete ones. All results are proven in the more general case of singular Riemannian foliations.
In this paper we study a geometric configuration of submanifolds of arbitrary codimension in an ambient Riemannian space. We obtain relations between the geometry of a q-codimension submanifold Mn along its boundary and the geometry of the boundary of Mn as an hypersuface of a q-codimensional submanifold Pn in an ambient space Mn+q. As a consequence of these geometric ralations we get that the ellipticity of the generalized Newton transformations implies the tranversality of Mn and Pn in Pn is totally geodesic in Mn+q.
The Piola identity $\operatorname{div} \operatorname{cof} \nabla f=0$ is a central result in the mathematical theory of elasticity. We prove a generalized version of the Piola identity for mappings between Riemannian manifolds, using two approaches, based on different interpretations of the cofactor of a linear map: one follows the lines of the classical Euclidean derivation and the other is based on a variational interpretation via Null-Lagrangians. In both cases, we first review the Euclidean case before proceeding to the general Riemannian setting.
In this paper, we study the topology of topologically regular 4-dimensional open non-negatively curved Alexandrov spaces. These spaces occur naturally as the blow-up limits of compact Riemannian manifolds with lower curvature bound. These manifolds have also been studied by Yamaguchi in his preprint [Yam2002]. Our main tools are gradient flows of semi-concave functions and critical point theory for distance functions, which have been used to study the 3-dimensional collapsing theory in the paper [CaoG2010]. The results of this paper will be used in our future studies of collapsing 4-manifolds,…
The authors define a SNS (semi-nearly-sub)-Riemannian connection on nearly sub-Riemannian manifolds and study the geometric properties of such a connection, and obtain the natures of horizontal curvature tensors between horizontal sub-Riemannian connection and SNS-Riemannian connection. The authors further investigate the geometric characteristics of the projective SNS-Riemannian connection, and obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for a nearly sub-Riemannian manifold being projectively flat.
By introducing a weight function to the Laplace operator, Bakry and Émery defined the "drift Laplacian" to study diffusion processes. Our first main result is that, given a Bakry-Émery manifold, there is a naturally associated family of graphs whose eigenvalues converge to the eigenvalues of the drift Laplacian as the graphs collapse to the manifold. Applications of this result include a new relationship between Dirichlet eigenvalues of domains in $\R^n$ and Neumann eigenvalues of domains in $\R^{n+1}$ and a new maximum principle. Using our main result and maximum principle, we are able to gen…
We present a geometric proof of the averaging theorem for perturbed dynamical systems on a Riemannian manifold, in the case where the flow of the unperturbed vector field is periodic and the $\mathbb{S}^{1}$-action associated to this vector field is not necessarily trivial. We generalize the averaging procedure \cite{Arno-63,ArKN-88} defining a global averaging method based on a free coordinate approach which allow us to formulate our results on any open domain with compact closure.
The local geometry of a Riemannian symmetric space is described completely by the Riemannian metric and the Riemannian curvature tensor of the space. In the present article I describe how to compute these tensors for any Riemannian symmetric space from the Satake diagram, in a way that is suited for the use with computer algebra systems. As an example application, the totally geodesic submanifolds of the Riemannian symmetric space SU(3)/SO(3) are classified. The submission also contains an example implementation of the algorithms and formulas of the paper as a package for Maple 10, the technic…
Using Rauch's comparison theorem, we prove several monotonicity inequalities for Riemannian submanifolds. Our main result is a general Li-Yau inequality which is applicable in any Riemannian manifold whose sectional curvature is bounded above (possibly positive). We show that the monotonicity inequalities can also be used to obtain Simon type diameter bounds, Sobolev inequalities and corresponding isoperimetric inequalities for Riemannian submanifolds with small volume. Moreover, we infer lower diameter bounds for closed minimal submanifolds as corollaries. All the statements are intrinsic in …
We define a Riemannian structure as a pre-homogeneous geometric structure with curvature R. We show that R=0 if and only if the underlying metric has constant curvature. We define pre-homogeneous geometric structures and pose some problems.
We analyze sub-Riemannian and lightlike metrics from the point of view of their rigidity as geometric structures. Following Cartan's and Gromov's formal definitions, they are never rigid, yet, in generic cases, they naturally give rise to rigid geometric structures!?
Let $(M,g)$ be a complete noncompact non-collapsing $n$-dimensional riemannian manifold, whose complex sectional curvature is bounded from below and scalar curvature is bounded from above. Then ricci flow with above as its initial data, has at most one solution in the class of complete riemannian metric with complex sectional curvature bounded from below.
Motivated by the study of collapsing Calabi-Yau threefolds with a Lefschetz K3 fibration, we construct a complete Calabi-Yau metric on $\mathbb{C}^3$ with maximal volume growth, which in the appropriate scale is expected to model the collapsing metric near the nodal point. This new Calabi-Yau metric has singular tangent cone at infinity, and its Riemannian geometry has certain non-standard features near the singularity of the tangent cone $\mathbb{C}^2/\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{C}$, which are more typical of adiabatic limit problems. The proof uses an existence result in H-J. Hein's PhD thes…
We examine questions of geometric realizability for algebraic structures which arise naturally in affine and Riemannian geometry. Suppose given an algebraic curvature operator R at a point P of a manifold M and suppose given a real analytic (resp. C-k for finite k at least 2) pseudo-Riemannian metric on M defined near P. We construct a torsion free real analytic (resp. C-k) connection D which is defined near P on the tangent bundle of M whose curvature operator is the given operator R at P and so that D has constant scalar curvature. We show that if R is Ricci symmetric, then D can be chosen t…
A Riemannian manifold is called geometrically formal if the wedge product of harmonic forms is again harmonic, which implies in the compact case that the manifold is topologically formal in the sense of rational homotopy theory. A manifold admitting a Riemannian metric of positive sectional curvature is conjectured to be topologically formal. Nonetheless, we show that among the homogeneous Riemannian metrics of positive sectional curvature a geometrically formal metric is either symmetric, or a metric on a rational homology sphere.
In this paper, we consider the high order geometric flows of a submanifolds $M$ in a complete Riemannian manifold $N$ with $\dim(N)=\dim(M)+1=n+1$, which were introduced by Mantegazza in the case the ambient space is an Euclidean space, and extend some results due to Mantegazza to the present situation under some assumptions on $N$. Precisely, we show that if $m\in\mathbb{N}$ is strictly larger than the integer part of $n/2$ and $φ(t)$ is a immersion for all $t\in[0,T)$ and if $\mathfrak{F}_m(φ_0)$ is bounded by a constant which relies on the injectivity radius $\bar{R}>0$ and sectional curvat…
Let (M, g) be a pseudo Riemannian manifold. We consider four geometric structures on M compatible with g: two almost complex and two almost product structures satisfying additionally certain integrability conditions. For instance, if r is a product structure and symmetric with respect to g, then r induces a pseudo Riemannian product structure on M. Sometimes the integrability condition is expressed by the closedness of an associated two-form: if j is almost complex on M and ω(x, y) = g(jx, y) is symplectic, then M is almost pseudo Kähler. Now, product, complex and symplectic structures on M ar…
We compute the spectrum of the Dirac operator on 3-dimensional Heisenberg manifolds. The behavior under collapse to the 2-torus is studied. Depending on the spin structure either all eigenvalues tend to $\pm\infty$ or there are eigenvalues converging to those of the torus. This is shown to be true in general for collapsing circle bundles with totally geodesic fibers. Using the Hopf fibration we use this fact to compute the Dirac eigenvalues on complex projective space including the multiplicities. Finally, we show that there are 1-parameter families of Riemannian nilmanifolds such that the Lap…
Let $(M, g(t))$, $t\in[0,T)$ be a closed Riemannian $n$-manifold whose Riemannian metric $g(t)$ evolves by the geometric flow $ \frac{\partial }{\partial t} g_{ij}=-2S_{ij} $, where $S_{ij}(t)$ is a symmetric two-tensor on $(M,g(t))$. We discuss differential Harnack estimates for positive solution to the porous medium equation with potential, $\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}=Δu^{p}+S u$, where $S=g^{ij}S_{ij}$ is the trace of $S_{ij}$, on time-dependent Riemannian metric evolving by the above geometric flow.
