In this paper we study the class of compact Kahler manifolds with positive orthogonal Ricci curvature: $Ric^perp>0$. First we illustrate examples of Kahler manifolds with $Ric^perp>0$ on Kahler C-spaces, and construct ones on certain projectivized vector bundles. These examples show the abundance of Kahler manifolds which admit metrics of $Ric^perp>0$. Secondly we prove some (algebraic) geometric consequences of the condition $Ric^perp>0$ to illustrate that the condition is also quite restrictive. Finally this last point is made evident with a classification result in dimension three and a partial classification in dimension four.
For $k ge 2,$ let $M^{4k-1}$ be a $(2k{-}2)$-connected closed manifold. If $k equiv 1$ mod $4$ assume further that $M$ is $(2k{-}1)$-parallelisable. Then there is a homotopy sphere $Sigma^{4k-1}$ such that $M sharp Sigma$ admits a Ricci positive metric. This follows from a new description of these manifolds as the boundaries of explicit plumbings.
In this paper we study the Ricci flow on compact four-manifolds with positive isotropic curvature and with no essential incompressible space form. Our purpose is two-fold. One is to give a complete proof of Hamiltons classification theorem on four-manifolds with positive isotropic curvature and with no essential incompressible space form; the other is to extend some recent results of Perelman on the three-dimensional Ricci flow to four-manifolds. During the the proof we have actually provided, up to slight modifications, all necessary details for the part from Section 1 to Section 5 of Perelmans second paper on the Ricci flow.
Let M be a Riemannian n-manifold with n greater than or equal to 3. For k between 1 and n, we say M has k-positive Ricci curvature if at every point of M the sum of any k eigenvalues of the Ricci curvature is strictly positive. In particular, one positive Ricci curvature is equivalent to positive Ricci curvature and n-positive Ricci curvature is equivalent to positive scalar curvature. Let G be the fundamental group of the closed manifold M. We say that G is virtually free if G contains a free subgroup of finite index, or equivalently, if some finite cover of M has a fundamental group that is a free group. In this paper we will prove: Let M be a closed Riemannian n-manifold, with n greater than or equal to 3, such that (n-1)-eigenvalues of the Ricci curvature are strictly positive. Then the fundamental group of M is virtually free. As an immediate consequence we have: Let M be a closed Riemannian n-manifold, with n greater than or equal to 3, with 2-positive Ricci curvature. Then the fundamental group of M is virtually free.
In a previous paper, we constructed complete manifolds of positive Ricci curvature with quadratically asymptotically nonnegative curvature and infinite topological type but dimension $ge 6$. The purpose of the present paper is to use a different way to exhibit a family of complete $I$-dimensinal ($Ige5$) Riemannian manifolds of positive Ricci curvature, quadratically asymptotically nonnegative sectional curvature, and certain infinite Betti number $b_j$ ($2le jle I-2$).