In this short note, we observe that the Bamler-Kleiner proof of uniqueness and stability for 3-dimensional Ricci flow through singularities generalizes to singular Ricci flows in higher dimensions that satisfy an analogous canonical neighborhood property. In particular, this gives a canonical evolution through singularities for manifolds with positive isotropic curvature. The new ingredients we use are the recent classification of higher dimensional $κ$-solutions by Brendle, Daskalopoulos, Naff and Sesum, and the maximum principle for the linearized Ricci-DeTurck flow on locally conformally flat manifolds due to Chen and Wu.
In this paper, we prove a unique continuation or ``backwards-uniqueness'' theorem for solutions to the Ricci flow. A particular consequence is that the isometry group of a solution cannot expand within the lifetime of the solution.
We prove uniqueness of instantaneously complete Ricci flows on surfaces. We do not require any bounds of any form on the curvature or its growth at infinity, nor on the metric or its growth (other than that implied by instantaneous completeness). Coupled with earlier work, particularly [23, 11], this completes the well-posedness theory for instantaneously complete Ricci flows on surfaces.
In this paper, we derive some local a priori estimates for Ricci flow. This gives rise to some strong uniqueness theorems. As a corollary, let $g(t)$ be a smooth complete solution to the Ricci flow on $\mathbb{R}^{3}$, with the canonical Euclidean metric $E$ as initial data, then $g(t)$ is trivial, i.e. $g(t)\equiv E$.
The Ricci flow is an evolution system on metrics. For a given metric as initial data, its local existence and uniqueness on compact manifolds was first established by Hamilton \cite{Ha1}. Later on, De Turck \cite{De} gave a simplified proof. In the later of 80's, Shi \cite{Sh1} generalized the local existence result to complete noncompact manifolds. However, the uniqueness of the solutions to the Ricci flow on complete noncompact manifolds is still an open question. Recently it was found that the uniqueness of the Ricci flow on complete noncompact manifolds is important in the theory of the Ri…
We show uniqueness of classical solutions of the normalised two-dimensional Hamilton-Ricci flow on closed, smooth manifolds for smooth data among solutions satisfying (essentially) only a uniform bound for the Liouville energy and a natural space-time $L^2$-bound for the time derivative of the solution. The result is surprising when compared with results for the harmonic map heat flow, where non-uniqueness through reverse bubbling may occur.
We extend the notion of what it means for a complete Ricci flow to have a given initial metric, and consider the resulting well-posedness issues that arise in the 2D case. On one hand we construct examples of nonuniqueness by showing that surfaces with cusps can evolve either by keeping the cusps or by contracting them. On the other hand, by adding a noncollapsedness assumption for the initial metric, we establish a uniqueness result.
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.
We prove the uniqueness of solutions of the Ricci flow on complete noncompact manifolds with bounded curvatures using the De Turck approach. As a consequence we obtain a correct proof of the existence of solution of the Ricci harmonic flow on complete noncompact manifolds with bounded curvatures.
We verify a conjecture of Perelman, which states that there exists a canonical Ricci flow through singularities starting from an arbitrary compact Riemannian 3-manifold. Our main result is a uniqueness theorem for such flows, which, together with an earlier existence theorem of Lott and the second named author, implies Perelman's conjecture. We also show that this flow through singularities depends continuously on its initial condition and that it may be obtained as a limit of Ricci flows with surgery. Our results have applications to the study of diffeomorphism groups of three manifolds --- i…
In this paper, we study the classification of $κ$-noncollapsed ancient solutions to three-dimensional Ricci flow on $S^3$. We prove that such a solution is either isometric to a family of shrinking round spheres, or the Type II ancient solution constructed by Perelman.
In this note, we study the problem of uniqueness of Ricci flow on complete noncompact manifolds. We consider the class of solutions with curvature bounded above by C/t when t > 0. In paricular, we proved uniqueness if in addition the initial curvature is of polynomial growth and Ricci curvature of the flow is relatively small.
We analyze an energy functional associated to Conformal Ricci Flow along closed manifolds with constant negative scalar curvature. Given initial conditions we use this functional to demonstrate the uniqueness of both the metric and the pressure function along Conformal Ricci Flow.
In this paper, we prove a pseudolocality-type theorem for $\mathcal L$-complete noncompact Ricci flow which may not have bounded sectional curvature; with the help of it we study the uniqueness of the Ricci flow on noncompact manifolds. In particular, we prove the strong uniqueness theorem for the $\mathcal L$-complete Ricci flow on the Euclidean space. This partially answers a question proposed by B-L.~Chen.
We show that a three-dimensional steady gradient Ricci soliton which is asymptotic to the Bryant soliton in a suitable sense must be isometric to the Bryant soliton.
This paper defines a parabolic frequency for solutions of the heat equation on a Ricci flow and proves it's monotonicity along the flow. Frequency monotonicity is known to have many useful consequences; here it is shown to provide a simple proof of backwards uniqueness. For solutions of more general parabolic equations on a Ricci flow, this paper provides bounds on the derivative of the frequency, which similarly imply backwards uniqueness.
Let $X$ be a compact Kähler manifold. We prove that the Kähler-Ricci flow starting from arbitrary closed positive $(1,1)$-currents is smooth outside some analytic subset. This regularity result is optimal meaning that the flow has positive Lelong numbers for short time if the initial current does. We also prove that the flow is unique when starting from currents with zero Lelong numbers.
In this short note, we give simple proof of the Ricci flow's local existence and uniqueness on closed Einstein manifolds. We suggest a new setting for studying the space of Riemannian metrics on a compact manifold.
We revisit the problem of uniqueness for the Ricci flow and give a short, direct proof, based on the consideration of a simple energy quantity, of Hamilton/Chen-Zhu's theorem on the uniqueness of complete solutions of uniformly bounded curvature. With a variation of this quantity and technique, we further prove a uniqueness theorem for subsolutions to a general class of mixed differential inequalities which implies an extension of Chen-Zhu's result to solutions (and initial data) of potentially unbounded curvature.
We introduce certain spherically symmetric singular Ricci solitons and study their stability under the Ricci flow from a dynamical PDE point of view. The solitons in question exist for all dimensions $n+1\ge 3$, and all have a point singularity where the curvature blows up; their evolution under the Ricci flow is in sharp contrast to the evolution of their smooth counterparts. In particular, the family of diffeomorphisms associated with the Ricci flow "pushes away" from the singularity causing the evolving soliton to open up immediately becoming an incomplete (but non-singular) metric. In the …
We construct the first and second Chern-Ricci functions on negatively curved minimal surfaces in ${\mathbb{R}}^{3}$ using Gauss curvature and angle functions, and establish that they become harmonic functions on the minimal surfaces. We prove that a minimal surface has constant first Chern-Ricci function if and only if it is Enneper's surface. We explicitly determine the moduli space of minimal surfaces having constant second Chern-Ricci function, which contains catenoids, helicoids, and their associate families.
In this paper, we construct smooth forward Ricci flow evolutions of singular initial metrics resulting from rotationally symmetric neckpinches on S^(n+1), without performing an intervening surgery. In the restrictive context of rotational symmetry, this construction gives evidence in favor of Perelman's hope for a "canonically defined Ricci flow through singularities".
In this paper, we study the classification of $κ$-noncollapsed ancient solutions to n-dimensional Ricci flow on $S^n$, extending the result in [13] to higher dimensions. We prove that such a solution is either isometric to a family of shrinking round spheres, or the Type II ancient solution constructed by Perelman.
Using techniques for Caccioppoli inequality, on a fairly general class of complete non-compact Kähler manifolds with sub-quadratic volume growth, we show uniqueness of bounded $C^{1,1}$ solution to Monge-Ampere equation. This does not a priori require any decay of the solution.
In this paper we prove a conjecture by Feldman-Ilmanen-Knopf in \cite{FIK} that the gradient shrinking soliton metric they constructed on the tautological line bundle over $\CP^1$ is the uniform limit of blow-ups of a type I Ricci flow singularity on a closed manifold. We use this result to show that limits of blow-ups of Ricci flow singularities on closed four dimensional manifolds do not necessarily have non-negative Ricci curvature.
In Riemannian geometry the prescribed Ricci curvature problem is as follows: given a smooth manifold $M$ and a symmetric 2-tensor $r$, construct a metric on $M$ whose Ricci tensor equals $r$. In particular, DeTurck and Koiso proved the following celebrated result: the Ricci curvature uniquely determines the Levi-Civita connection on any compact Einstein manifold with non-negative section curvature. In the present paper we generalize the result of DeTurck and Koiso for a Riemannian manifold with non-negative section curvature. In addition, we extended our result to complete non-compact Riemanni…
In this paper we discuss Perelman's Lambda-functional, Perelman's Ricci shrinker entropy as well as the Ricci expander entropy on a class of manifolds with isolated conical singularities. On such manifolds, a singular Ricci de Turck flow preserving the isolated conical singularities exists by our previous work. We prove that the entropies are monotone along the singular Ricci de Turck flow. We employ these entropies to show that in the singular setting, Ricci solitons are gradient and that steady or expanding Ricci solitons are Einstein.
We construct Ricci flat Kahler metrics with cone singularities along a complex hypersurface. This construction is inspired in part by R. Mazzeo's program in the case of negative Einstein constant, and uses the linear theory developed recently by S. Donaldson.
We prove that a shrinking gradient Ricci soliton which agrees to infinite order at spatial infinity with one of the standard cylindrical metrics on $S^k\times \RR^{n-k}$ for $k\geq 2$ along some end must be isometric to the cylinder on that end. When the underlying manifold is complete, it must be globally isometric either to the cylinder or (when $k=n-1$) to its $\ZZ_2$-quotient.
We use the momentum construction for $S^1$-invariant Kähler metrics as developed by Hwang-Singer to construct new examples of steady Kähler-Ricci solitons. We also prove that these solitons are unique in their Kähler class, provided the vector field and the asymptotic behaviour are fixed.
In this paper, we define a reduced distance function based at a point at the singular time $T<\infty$ of a Ricci flow. We also show the monotonicity of the corresponding reduced volume based at time T, with equality iff the Ricci flow is a gradient shrinking soliton. Our curvature bound assumption is more general than the type I condition.
In previous work, Angenent, Isenberg, and Knopf created type-II Ricci flow neckpinch singularities. In this paper we construct solutions to Ricci flow whose initial data is the singular metric resulting from these singularities. We show in particular that the curvature decreases at the same rate at which it blew up. This is the first example of Ricci flow starting from a type-II singularity.
In this paper, we study the uniformly strong convergence of Kähler-Ricci flow on a Fano manifold with varied initial metrics and smooth deformation complex structures. As an application, we prove the uniqueness of Kähler-Ricci solitons in sense of diffeomorphism orbits. The result generalizes Tian-Zhu's theorem for the uniqueness of of Kähler-Ricci solitons on a compact complex manifold, and it is also a generalization of Chen-Sun's result of for the uniqueness of of Kähler-Einstein metric orbits.
In this survey we provide an overview of our recent results concerning Ricci de Turck flow on spaces with isolated conical singularities. The crucial characteristic of the flow is that it preserves the conical singularity. Under certain conditions, Ricci flat metrics with isolated conical singularities are stable and positive scalar curvature is preserved under the flow. We also discuss the relation to Perelman's entropies in the singular setting, and outline open questions and future reseach directions.
The Ricci flow is a natural evolution equation for Riemannian metrics on a given manifold. The main goal is to understand singularity formation. In his spectacular 2002 breakthrough, Perelman achieved a qualitative understanding of singularity formation in dimension $3$. More precisely, Perelman showed that every finite-time singularity to the Ricci flow in dimension $3$ is modeled on an ancient $κ$-solution. Moreover, Perelman proved a structure theorem for ancient $κ$-solutions in dimension $3$. In this survey, we discuss recent developments which have led to a complete classification of all…
Under broad hypotheses we derive a scalar reduction of the generalized Kähler-Ricci soliton system. We realize solutions as critical points of a functional analogous to the classical Aubin energy defined on the orbit of a natural Hamiltonian action of diffeomorphisms, thought of as a generalized Kähler class. This functional is convex on a large set of paths in this space, and using this we show rigidity of solitons in their generalized Kähler class. As an application we prove uniqueness of the generalized Kähler-Ricci solitons on Hopf surfaces constructed in arXiv:1907.03819, finishing the cl…
In this work, we are going to find sufficient conditions on the initial triaxial Bianchi IX metric on some 4-dimensional manifolds foliated by homogeneous S3 for a Type I singularity to occur when it is flowed under the Ricci flow. This work generalises the study on rotationally symmetric manifolds done by Angenent and Isenberg as well as the work of Isenberg, Knopf, and Sesum, in which they introduced some ansatz for the problem setup.