Riemannian manifolds with flat ends (Q1101699)

Let \(M\) denote a complete, noncompact Riemannian manifold of dimension \(n\geq 2\). An end of \(M\) is a function E that assigns to each compact subset \(\Omega\) of \(M\) a connected component \(E(\Omega)\) of \(M\)-\(\Omega\) such that if \(\Omega_ 1\subseteq \Omega_ 2\) then \(E(\Omega_ 1)\supseteq E(\Omega_ 2)\). An end \(E\) of \(M\) is flat if \(E(\Omega)\) is flat (zero sectional curvature) for some compact subset \(\Omega\) of \(M\). The authors reduce the classification of flat ends up to isometry to the (nontrivial) 2-dimensional situation with the following result. Theorem. Let \(E\) be a flat end of a Riemannian manifold \(M\). Then there exists a compact subset \(\Omega\) of \(M\) such that \(E(\Omega)\) is isometric to the interior of \(Y\times A^ k/\Gamma\), where either a) \(k=n-1\), \(Y=[0,\infty)\) and \(\Gamma\) is a Bieberbach group on \(R^{n-1}\) or b) \(k=n-2\), \(Y\) is diffeomorphic to \(R\times [0,\infty)\) and \(\Gamma\) is a Bieberbach group on \(R\times R^{n-2}\) that preserves the product structure or \(c\)) \(k\leq n-3\), \(Y\) is the complement of a distance ball in \(R^{n-k}\) and \(\Gamma\) is a finite extension of a Bieberbach group on \(R^ k.\) Case b) of the result above can be sharpened if \(n=2\). If \(M\) has nonpositive sectional curvature then only ends of type a) or b) occur. This result is also true if \(M\) has nonnegative sectional curvature. Moreover, if M has nonpositive sectional curvature, then except for 3 special cases there is always a compact, flat, totally geodesic hypersurface \(T\) that divides \(M\) into two pieces. One of the pieces, denoted \(E(T)\), is diffeomorphic to \(T\times [0,\infty)\) under the exponential map of the normal bundle of \(T\). The other piece, \(M\)-\(E(T)\), is totally convex; that is, \(M\)-\(E(T)\) contains all geodesic loops whose end points lie in \(M\)-\(E(T)\).