Geometric deformations of immersed surfaces in non-positively curved manifolds

Homeomorphism Classification of positively curved manifolds with almost maximal symmetry rank

We show that a closed simply connected 8-manifold (9-manifold) of positive sectional curvature on which a 3-torus (4-torus) acts isometrically is homeomorphic to a sphere, a complex projective space or a quaternionic projective plane (sphere). We show that a closed simply connected 2m-manifold (m>4) of positive sectional curvature on which a (m-1)-torus acts isometrically is homeomorphic to a complex projective space if and only if its Euler characteristic is not 2. By a result of Wilking, these results imply a homeomorphism classification for positively curved n-manifolds (n>7) of almost maxi…

Harmonic 2-forms and positively curved 4-manifolds

We prove that if a compact Riemannian 4-manifold with positive sectional curvature satisfies a Kato type inequality, then it is definite. We also discuss some new insights for compact Riemannian 4-manifolds of positive sectional curvature.

Intersections of subcomplexes in non-positively curved 2-dimensional complexes

Let $X$ be a contractible $2$-complex which is a union of two contractible subcomplexes $Y$ and $Z.$ Is the intersection $Y\cap Z$ contractible as well? In this note, we prove that the inclusion-induced map $π_{1}(Y\cap Z)\rightarrow π_{1}(Z)$ is injective if $Y$ is $π_{1}$-injective subcomplex in a locally CAT(0) 2-complex $X$. In particular, each component in the intersection of two contractible subcomplexes in a CAT(0) 2-complex is contractible.

Erratum and addenda to "Isometry groups of non-positively curved spaces: discrete subgroups"

We amend the statement of point~(i) in Theorem~1.3 in arxiv:0901.1022 and supply the additional arguments and minor changes for the results that depend on it. We also seize the occasion and generalize to non-finitely generated lattices.

在非正曲率流形积中完全测地子流形

Totally Geodesic Submanifolds in Products of Non-Positively Curved Manifolds

研究非正曲率闭 manifold M 和 M×M 中满足正交条件的 n 维完全测地子流形，证明在 M 满足一定不可约性条件下，若 M×M 存在无限多个此类子流形或单个致密子流形，则 M 是局部对称空间。

Some properties of non-positively curved lattices

We announce results on the structure of CAT(0) groups, CAT(0) lattices and of the underlying spaces. Our statements rely notably on a general study of the full isometry groups of proper CAT(0) spaces. Classical statements about Hadamard manifolds are established for singular spaces; new arithmeticity and rigidity statements are obtained.

Automorphisms and homology of non-positively curved cube complexes

We define an integer-valued invariant of special cube complexes called the genus, and prove that having genus one characterizes special cube complexes with abelian fundamental group. Using the genus, we obtain a new proof that the fundamental group of a special cube complex is either free abelian or surjects onto a non-cyclic free group. We also investigate automorphisms of special cube complexes, and give a new geometric proof that the Torelli subgroup for a right-angled Artin group is torsion-free.

Degree theorems and Lipschitz simplicial volume for non-positively curved manifolds of finite volume

We study a metric version of the simplicial volume on Riemannian manifolds, the Lipschitz simplicial volume, with applications to degree theorems in mind. We establish a proportionality principle and a product inequality from which we derive an extension of Gromov's volume comparison theorem to products of negatively curved manifolds or locally symmetric spaces of non-compact type. In contrast, we provide vanishing results for the ordinary simplicial volume; for instance, we show that the ordinary simplicial volume of non-compact locally symmetric spaces with finite volume of Q-rank at least 3…

Isometry groups of non-positively curved spaces: discrete subgroups

We study lattices in non-positively curved metric spaces. Borel density is established in that setting as well as a form of Mostow rigidity. A converse to the flat torus theorem is provided. Geometric arithmeticity results are obtained after a detour through superrigidity and arithmeticity of abstract lattices. Residual finiteness of lattices is also studied. Riemannian symmetric spaces are characterised amongst CAT(0) spaces admitting lattices in terms of the existence of parabolic isometries.

Non-positively curved aspects of Artin groups of finite type

Artin groups of finite type are not as well understood as braid groups. This is due to the additional geometric properties of braid groups coming from their close connection to mapping class groups. For each Artin group of finite type, we construct a space (simplicial complex) analogous to Teichmueller space that satisfies a weak nonpositive curvature condition and also a space "at infinity" analogous to the space of projective measured laminations. Using these constructs, we deduce several group-theoretic properties of Artin groups of finite type that are well-known in the case of braid group…

On Large Scale Properties of Manifolds

We show that a space with a finite asymptotic dimension is embeddable in a non-positively curved manifold. Then we prove that if a uniformly contractible manifold X is uniformly embeddable in $\R^n$ or non-positively curved n-dimensional simply connected manifold then $X\times\R^n$ is integrally hyperspherical. If a uniformly contractible manifold X of bounded geometry is uniformly embeddable into a Hilbert space, then X is stably integrally hyperspherical.

Topology of positively curved 8-dimensional manifolds with symmetry

In this paper we show that a simply connected 8-dimensional manifold M of positive sectional curvature and symmetry rank $\geq 2$ resembles a rank one symmetric space in several ways. For example, the Euler characteristic of M is equal to the Euler characteristic of S^8, H P^2 or C P^4. And if M is rationally elliptic then M is rationally isomorphic to a rank one symmetric space. For torsion-free manifolds we derive a much stronger classification. We also study the bordism type of 8-dimensional manifolds of positive sectional curvature and symmetry rank $\geq 2$. As an illustration we apply ou…

Positively curved manifolds with maximal discrete symmetry rank

Let M be a closed simply connected n-manifold of positive sectional curvature. We determine its homeomorphism or homotopic type if M also admits an isometric elementary p-group action of large rank. Our main results are: There exists a constant p(n)>0 such that (1) If M^{2n} admits an effective isometric \Bbb Z_p^k-action for a prime p\ge p(n), then k\le n and ``='' implies that M^{2n} is homeomorphic to a sphere or a complex projective space. (2) If M^{2n+1} admits an isometric S^1 x \Bbb Z_p^k-action for a prime p\ge p(n), then k\le n and ``='' implies that M is homeomorphic to a sphere. (3)…

非正曲率3流形上的等距自由有限群作用

Isometric free finite group actions on non-positively curved 3-manifolds

本文证明闭可定向非正曲率3流形上的自由有限群作用总存在不变的非正曲率度量，填补了图流形情形的空白，推进了Schoen-Yau关于Nielsen实现问题的研究。

Connectivity properties of group actions on non-positively curved spaces I: Controlled connectivity and openness results

Let G be a group and let M be a CAT(0) proper metric space (e.g. a simply connected complete Riemannian manifold of non-positive sectional curvature or a locally finite tree). Isometric actions of G on M are (by definition) points in the space R := Hom(G, Isom(M)) with the compact open topology. Sample theorems: 1. The cocompact actions form an open subset of R. 2. The cocompact actions with discrete orbits whose point-stabilizers have type F_n form an open subset of the subspace of R consisting of all actions with discrete orbits. (F_1 means finitely generated, F_2 means finitely presented et…

Connectivity properties of group actions on non-positively curved spaces II: The geometric invariants

This is the second of two papers but has been written so as to have minimal dependence on the first paper (which is also on this archive). Let G be a group and let M be a CAT(0) proper metric space (e.g. a simply connected complete Riemannian manifold of non-positive sectional curvature or a locally finite tree). Assume G is of type F_n (type F_1 is finitely generated, type F_2 is finitely presented etc.) The "boundary", bdM, of M at infinity has two customary topologies - the compact "cone" topology and the Tits metric topology. We associate with any isometric action of G on M two subsets of …

CAT(0) is an algorithmic property

In this article we give an explicit algorithm which will determine, in a discrete and computable way, whether a finite piecewise Euclidean complex is non-positively curved. In particular, given such a complex we show how to define a boolean combination of polynomial equations and inequalities in real variables, i.e. a real semi-algebraic set, which is empty if and only if the complex is non-positively curved. Once this equivalence has been shown, the main result follows from a standard theorem in real algebraic geometry.

Nonnegatively curved hypersurfaces with free boundary on a sphere

We prove that in Euclidean space $R^{n+1}$ any compact immersed nonnegatively curved hypersurface $M$ with free boundary on the sphere $S^n$ is an embedded convex topological disk. In particular, when the $m^{th}$ mean curvature of $M$ is constant, for any $1\leq m\leq n$, $M$ is a spherical cap or an equatorial disk.

A note on the characteristic classes of negatively curved manifolds

We give conceptual proofs of some well known results concerning compact non-positively curved locally symmetric spaces. We discuss vanishing and non-vanishing of Pontrjagin numbers and Euler characteristics for these locally symmetric spaces. We also establish vanishing results for Stiefel-Whitney numbers of (finite covers of) the Gromov-Thurston examples of negatively curved manifolds. We mention some geometric corollaries: the MinVol question, a lower bound for degrees of covers having tangential maps to the non-negatively curved duals, and estimates for the complexity of some representation…

Controlled embeddings into groups that have no non-trivial finite quotients

If a class of finitely generated groups Curly(G) is closed under isometric amalgamations along free subgroups, then every G in Curly(G) can be quasi-isometrically embedded in a group Hat(G) in Curly(G) that has no proper subgroups of finite index. Every compact, connected, non-positively curved space X admits an isometric embedding into a compact, connected, non-positively curved space Overline(X) such that Overline(X) has no non-trivial finite-sheeted coverings.