Curvature increasing metric variations (Q1821362)

Let \((M,g_ 0)\) denote a complete Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature \(K_ 0\geq 0\). In this paper the author considers the problem of constructing a metric \(g_ 1\) with strictly positive sectional curvature \(K_ 1\) on M by means of an appropriate metric variation \(g_ t\) of the original metric \(g_ 0\). A variation \(g_ t\) of \(g_ 0\) is said to be positive (nonnegative) if \(K_ t(\sigma)>0\) \((K_ t(\sigma)\geq 0)\) for all 2-planes \(\sigma\) tangent to M. Similarly \(g_ t\) is positive (nonnegative) of first order if \(K'(\sigma)\) (K'(\(\sigma)\geq 0)\) for all 2-planes \(\sigma\), where \(K'(\sigma) = (d/dt)(K_ t(\sigma))|_{t=0}\). If M is compact with \(K_ 0\geq 0\), then every variation \(g_ t\) that is positive of first order is also a positive variation. Let \(G_ 2(M)_ 0\) denote the set of 2-planes \(\sigma\) tangent to M such that \(K_ 0(\sigma)\leq 0\). Recall that a closed, locally convex subset A of a Riemannian manifold M is an imbedded k-dimensional topological submanifold N with smooth, totally geodesic interior Int(A) and possibly nonsmooth boundary b(A). Theorem. Let \((M,g_ 0)\) be a compact Riemannian manifold with \(K_ 0\geq 0\) and let \(A\leq M\) be a closed, locally convex set with nonempty boundary b(A). Suppose that \(\pi (G_ 2(M)_ 0)\), the set of footpoints of 2-planes in \(G_ 2(M)\), is contained in Int(A). Then there is a variation \(g_ t\) of \(g_ 0\) that is positive of first order. Moreover, if Int(A) is an open subset of M (i.e. \(\dim A=\dim M)\), then we may further require that \(g_ t=g_ 0\) on M-Int(A). The author also shows that the existence of a flat, isometrically and totally geodesically immersed 2-torus is an obstruction to the existence of a variation \(g_ t\) that is positive of first order. Theorem. Let (M,g) admit an isometrically and totally geodesically immersed flat 2- torus \(T^ 2\). If \(g_ t\) is a variation of \(g_ 0\) that is nonnegative of first order, then \(K'(\sigma)=0\) for all 2-planes \(\sigma\) tangent to \(T^ 2.\) Remarks. 1) If \((M,g_ 0)\) is a compact symmetric space of rank 2 with \(K_ 0\geq 0\), then every 2-plane \(\sigma\) in \(G_ 2(M)_ 0\) is tangent to an isometrically and totally geodesically immersed flat 2-torus \(T^ 2\). 2) If M is a Riemannian product manifold, then M admits a totally geodesic flat 2-torus spanned by closed geodesics tangent to each of the factors. From the theorem above one obtains an earlier result of M. Berger which says that \((M,g_ 0)\) admits no variations that are positive of first order.