Adapting the method of Andrews-Clutterbuck we prove an eigenvalue gap theorem for a class of non symmetric second order linear elliptic operators on a convex domain in euclidean space. The class of operators includes the Bakry-Emery laplacian with po
tential and any operator with second order term the laplacian whose first order terms have coefficients with compact support in the open domain. The eigenvalue gap is bounded below by the gap of an associated Sturm-Liouville problem on a closed interval.
A connected Riemannian manifold M has constant vector curvature epsilon, denoted by cvc(epsilon), if every tangent vector v in TM lies in a 2-plane with sectional curvature epsilon. By scaling the metric on M, we can always assume that epsilon = -1,
0, or 1. When the sectional curvatures satisfy the additional bound that each sectional curvature is less than or equal to epsilon, or that each sectional curvature is greater than or equal to epsilon, we say that, epsilon, is an extremal curvature. In this paper we study three-manifolds with constant vector curvature. Our main results show that finite volume cvc(epsilon) three-manifolds with extremal curvature epsilon are locally homogenous when epsilon=-1 and admit a local product decomposition when epsilon=0. As an application, we deduce a hyperbolic rank-rigidity theorem.
In this note we relate the geometric notion of fill radius with the fundamental group of the manifold. We prove: Suppose that a closed Riemannian manifold M satisfies the property that its universal cover has bounded fill radius. Then the fundamental
group of M is virtually free. We explain the relevance of this theorem to some conjectures on positive isotropic curvature and 2-positive Ricci curvature.
The paper provides a different proof of the result of Brendle-Schoen on the differential sphere theorem. It is shown directly that the invariant cone of curvature operators with positive (or non-negative) complex sectional curvature is preserved by t
he Ricci flow. This implies, by a result of Bohm-Wilking, that the normalized Ricci flow deforms such a metric to a metric of constant positive curvature. Using earlier work of Yau and Zheng it can be shown that a metric with strictly (pointwise) 1/4-pinched sectional curvature has positive complex sectional curvature. This gives a direct proof of Brendle-Schoens recent differential sphere theorem, bypassing any discussion of positive isotropic curvature.
