Diameter estimate of the manifolds with positive Ricci curvature and reverse volume pinching (Q389346)

Let \((M^n,g)\) be a compact simply-connected Riemannian \(n\)-manifold without boundary. Also, let \(K_M\) denote the sectional curvature, \(V(M)\) the volume, and \( \mathrm{Ric} (M)\) the Ricci curvature. In [Manuscr. Math. 85, No. 1, 79--87 (1994; Zbl 0821.53034)], \textit{C. Xia} proved the following topological sphere theorem: For every \(n\geq 2\) there exists \(\eta = \eta(n)>0\) such that the conditions \(K_M\leq 1\), \(\mathrm{Ric} (M)\geq \frac{n+2}{4}\), and \(0<V(M)\leq (3/2 +\eta) V(S^n)\) imply that \(M^n\) is homeomorphic to \(S^n\). The authors of the present article augment the topological result with geometric information, specifically an upper estimate on the diameter of \(M\), denoted \(d_M\). The main theorem is the following: Theorem. For every \(n\geq 3\) there exists \(\eta = \eta(n)>0\) such that the conditions \(K_M\leq 1\), \(\mathrm{Ric} (M)\geq \frac{n+2}{4}\), and \(0<V(M)\leq 2(1+\eta)V(\mathbb B_{3\pi/4})\) imply \(d_M< 3\pi/2\). The proof employs volume comparison and Gromov-Hausdorff convergence of manifolds.