Topology and singularities in cosmological spacetimes obeying the null energy condition (Q1650141)

The authors prove the following remarkable theorem. Suppose that \(V\) is a smooth compact spacelike Cauchy surface in a 4-dimensional Lorentz manifold \((M,g)\) that satisfies the null energy condition, that is the Ricci curvature Ric\((X,X) \geq 0\) is not negative for all null vectors \(X\), and the second fundamental form of \(V\) is positive defined. Then either (i) \(V\) is a spherical space, i.e., a quotient of the sphere \(S^3\) by a discrete isometry group \(\Gamma \subset SO(4)\) or (ii) \(M\) is past null geodesically incomplete.