Spaces with almost Euclidean Dehn function (Q2419955)

The Dehn filling function is a basic invariant in analysis and geometry and plays an important role in large scale geometry and geometric group theory. Roughly speaking, for a complete metric space $(X,d),$ the Dehn filling function measures how much area is needed to fill closed curves of a given length in $X$ by disc-type surfaces. Precise definitions are given in the paper. For every $r\geq0,$ the Lipschitz Dehn function of $X$ is denoted by $\delta_{X}^{\mathrm{Lip}}(r),$ provided that the curves $c:S^{1}\rightarrow X$ involved in the definition are Lipschitz of length $\leq r.$ The main theorem of the paper assert that, if $X$ is a proper, geodesic metric space satisfying \[ \limsup_{r\rightarrow \infty}\frac{\delta_{X}^{\mathrm{Lip}}(r)}{r^{2}}\leq \frac{1}{4\pi} \] then every asympotic cone of $X$ is a CAT(0)-space. This theorem is new even when $X$ is a Riemannian manifold and that the constant $\frac{1}{4\pi}$ is optimal. Also, in a previous paper [Invent. Math. 171, No. 1, 227--255 (2008; Zbl 1147.53036)], the author proved that if $X$ satisfies the same assumption then $X$ is Gromov hyperbolic, generalizing and strengthening in this way a result of \textit{M. Gromov} [Publ., Math. Sci. Res. Inst. 8, 75--263 (1987; Zbl 0634.20015)]. The converse of the theorem above does not hold. More precisely, in the same paper the author proves that there exists a geodesic metric space $X$ bi-Lipschitz homeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ which satisfies \[ \limsup_{r\rightarrow \infty}\frac{\delta_{X}^{\mathrm{Lip}}(r)}{r^{2}}\frac{1}{4\pi} \] and whose unique asymptotic cone is the Euclidean plane.