Bounded and \(L^2\) harmonic forms on universal covers (Q1386751)

If \(M\) is a compact Riemannian manifold, a well-known Bochner formula implies that there is a certain endomorphism \(R^q\) of the \(q\)-form bundle of \(M\), composed out of the curvature tensor, such that if \(R^q\) is a positive operator, then \(M\) has vanishing \(q\)-dimensional de Rham cohomology. If \(M\) is just assumed to be complete, the same condition on \(R^q\) implies that \(M\) has no nonzero square-integrable harmonic \(q\)-forms. The authors consider a slight weakening of the positivity of \(R^q\), saying that \(R^q\) is strongly stochastic positive if, roughly speaking, the average Brownian path on \(M\) encounters positive values of \(R^q\). The main result is that if \(M\) is complete with conservative Brownian motion, \(R^{q-1}\) and \(R^{q+1}\) are strongly stochastic positive and \(M\) has a nontrivial bounded harmonic \(q\)-form, then \(M\) has a nontrivial square-integrable harmonic \(q\)-form.