A splitting theorem for Euclidean submanifolds of nonpositive sectional curvature (Q1284355)

Let \(M^n\) be a Riemannian manifold with nonpositive sectional curvature and \(f:M^n\to\mathbb{R}^{n+p}\) its isometric immersion with flat normal bundle into Euclidean space. The index of relative nullity \(\nu\) of \(f\) at \(x\in M\) is defined as \[ \nu(x)=\dim\{X\in T_xM\mid \alpha(X,Y)=0 \text{ for all }Y\in T_xM\}, \] where \(\alpha\) is the second fundamental form of \(f\). It is shown that if \(\nu\leq n-p-r\) everywhere for some integer \(2\leq r\leq p\), then there exists one open dense subset \(U\subset M^n\) such that \(f|_U: U\to \mathbb{R}^{n+p}\) splits locally as an \(r\)-product of nowhere flat Euclidean submanifolds, i.e., \(U^n=U_1^{n_1}\times\cdots\times U_r^{n_r}\) and there exist isometric immersions \(g_j:U_j^{n_j} \to\mathbb{R}^{n_j+p_j}\), \(1\leq j\leq r\), \(n_j\geq 1\), such that \(f|_U=g_1\times \cdots \times g_r\); moreover, every \(U_j\) is nowhere flat Euclidean.