A geometric characteristic splitting in all dimensions (Q1583919)

The main result of this paper is the following theorem concerning the geometric structure of non-positively curved manifolds. Let \(M\) be a compact curved manifold of dimension \(n\geq 3\), which has convex boundary. Then either \(M\) is closed and has a flat metric, or \(M\) can be canonically decomposed along finitely many totally geodesically embedded flat closed submanifolds of codimension one. The resulting pieces are Seifert fibered or codimension one atoroidal. Further any essential map of a closed flat \((n-1)\)-manifold into \(M\) can be homotoped to a totally geodesic flat immersion and any such immersion must lie in one of the Seifert pieces or be homotopic to a cover of one of the decomposing hypersurfaces. This result is the geometric version of the topological decomposition theorem in dimension three due to \textit{W. Jaco} and \textit{P. B. Shalen} [Seifert fibred spaces in 3-manifolds. Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 220 (1979; Zbl 0415.57005)] and \textit{K. Johannson} [Homotopy equivalences of 3-manifolds with boundary, Springer Lect. Notes Math. 761 (1979; Zbl 0412.57007)].