The degree theorem in higher rank (Q1880402)

This paper extends the Gromov volume comparison theorem for the bound of \( | \deg ( f) | \) by \(C_{n}\frac{\text{vol}( N) }{\text{vol}( M) }\) for a continuous map \(f:N\to M\) and complete Riemannian manifolds \(N,M\) of dimension \(n\) where \(M\) has negative sectional curvature and \(C_{n}\) is a constant depending on \(n\) and the Ricci curvature of \(N\). The authors prove that if \(N\) is closed and \(M\) is a closed locally symmetric manifold with nonpositive sectional curvature such that \(M\) has no factors locally isometric to \(\mathbb R\), \(\mathbb H^{2}\) or \(\text{SL}_{3}( \mathbb R) /\text{SO}_{3}(\mathbb R) ,\) then given a continuous map \(f:N\to M\) there exists a canonical \(C^{1}\) mapping \(F:N\to M\) such that \(f\) is homotopic to \(F\) and the Jacobian \(| \text{Jac}( F) | \leq C_{n},\) where \(C_{n}\) a universal bound depending on the Ricci curvatures of \(N\) and \(M\) and not on \(f\). In the rank(\(M)=1\) case there is the stronger entropy rigidity theorem of \textit{G. Besson, G. Courtois} and \textit{S. Gallot} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 5, No. 5, 731--799 (1995; Zbl 0851.53032)] and the bound for the Jacobian here makes use of a higher rank version of the corresponding result in the rank one case. The authors then use this result to prove that under these hypotheses \(| \deg ( f) | \leq C_{n}\frac{\text{vol}( N) }{\text{vol}( M) }.\) As a corollary, if \(M\) is locally symmetric with finite volume and nonpositive curvature such that \(M\) has no factors locally isometric to \(\mathbb R\), \(\mathbb H^{2}\) or \(\text{SL}_{3}( \mathbb R) /\text{SO}_{3}( \mathbb R)\) then the minimum volume of \(M,\) defined as minvol\(( M):=\inf_g\{ \text{vol}( M,g) \mid K( g) \leq 1 \}\) is positive. A further extension of the main result to the noncompact case for \(N\) (and/or \(M\)) with finite volume and with the geometry of \(N\) bounded is then given.