Positively curved shrinking Ricci solitons are compact (Q1700295)

A complete Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) is a shrinking gradient Ricci soliton if the equation \[ \text{Ric}+\text{Hess}(f)=\frac12 g \] holds for some function \(f\). In the work [arXiv e-print service , Paper No. 0303109, 22 p. (2003; Zbl 1130.53002)], \textit{G. Perelman} proved that if \((M,g)\) is a three-dimensional non-collapsing gradient shrinking Ricci soliton with positive and bounded sectional curvature, then \((M,g)\) must be compact. In [Chin. Ann. Math., Ser. B 27, No. 2, 121--142 (2006; Zbl 1102.53025)], \textit{H.-D. Cao} posed the question whether this theorem is true in full generality in any dimension. In the present paper the authors prove the following: {Theorem}. Let \((M,g)\) be an \(n\)-dimensional gradient shrinking Ricci soliton with nonnegative sectional curvature and positive Ricci curvature. Then \((M,g)\) must be compact. By combining the above theorem with results of \textit{O. Munteanu} and \textit{N. Sesum} [J. Geom. Anal. 23, No. 2, 539--561 (2013; Zbl 1275.53061)] and \textit{P. Petersen} and \textit{W. Wylie} [Geom. Topol. 14, No. 4, 2277--2300 (2010; Zbl 1202.53049)], they obtain the following: {Corollary}. Let \((M,g)\) be an \(n\)-dimensional gradient shrinking Ricci soliton with nonnegative sectional curvature. Then \((M,g)\) must be compact or a quotient of \(\mathbb{R}^n\) or of the product \(\mathbb{R}^k\times N^{n-k}\) with \(1\leq k\leq n-2\), where \(N\) is a compact simply connected shrinking Ricci soliton of dimension \(n-k\) with positive Ricci curvature.