On the average indices of closed geodesics (Q1111168)

Closed geodesics on a compact Riemannian manifold M can be characterized as critical points of the energy functional E on the free loop space \(\bigwedge M\) of M. \(\bigwedge M\) carries a canonical \(S^ 1\)-action leaving E invariant. With a closed geodesic c: \(S^ 1\to M\) all iterates \(c^ m\), \(c^ m(t)=c(mt)\) are closed geodesics too and the average index \(\alpha_ c=\lim_{m\to \infty}(index(c^ m)/m)\) exists. A metric on M is admissible if the set of closed geodesics as subset of \(\bigwedge M\) is the union of non-degenerate critical submanifolds \(B^ m_ k\), \(k=1,...,r\), \(m\in {\mathbb{N}}\) where \(B^ m_ k:=\{c^ m| \quad c\in B_ k\}\) and \(B_ k/S^ 1\) is simply-connected. Then we have for each \(k=1,...,r\) the positive average index \(\alpha_ k=\alpha_ c\), \(c\in B_ k\), an invariant \(\gamma_ k\in \{\pm,\pm 1\}\) and the Euler characteristic \(\chi_ k\) of \(B_ k/S^ 1.\) Theorem. If M is a simply-connected compact manifold with an admissible metric, then \(H^*(M;Q)\cong Q[x]/(x^{n+1}),\deg x=d,\) and: \[ a)\quad B(d,n):=\lim_{m\to \infty}\quad \frac{1}{m}\quad \sum^{m}_{i=0}(- 1)^ i\quad b_ i(\bigwedge M/S^ 1;Q)=\sum^{r}_{k=1}\quad \frac{\gamma_ k\chi_ k}{\alpha_ k}. \] b) If d is even then there exists a non-hyperbolic closed geodesic. Part b) completes the proof of the existence of infinitely many geometric distinct closed geodesics on a compact simply-connected manifold for a \(C^ 4\)-generic metric. The theorem remains valid for Finsler metrics which provide many examples of admissible metrics.