Volume growth, entropy and the geodesic stretch (Q1902200)

Let \(M\) be a compact manifold with universal covering \(\widetilde M\). This paper examines relationships between asymptotic invariants associated with a Riemannian metric \(g\) on \(M\) and also between the values of these invariants for two or more metrics on \(M\). The simplest asymptotic invariant associated with a metric \(g\) on \(M\) is the volume entropy, \(h(g)\). If \(B^g_r (p)\) denotes the geodesic ball of radius \(r\) about a point \(p \in \widetilde M\) and \(\text{vol}_g (B^g_r (p))\) describes its volume with respect to the metric \(g\) lifted to \(\widetilde M\), then \[ h(g) = \lim_{r \to \infty} {\log \text{vol}_g \bigl( B^g_r (p) \bigr) \over r}. \] \textit{A. Manning} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 110, 567-573 (1979; Zbl 0426.58016)] proved that this limit exists and is independent of the point \(p\). Asymptotic invariants associated with the dynamical properties of the geodesic flow, induced by the metric \(g\), are the topological entropy of the geodesic flow, \(h_{\text{top}} (g)\), and, for each flow invariant measure \(\mu\), the measure theoretic entropy \(h_\mu (g)\). Manning proved that \(h(g) \leq h_{\text{top}} (g)\), with equality holding in general only if the metric \(g\) has no conjugate points. If \(g\) is a measure of strictly negative curvature, then for each flow invariant measure \(\mu\), \(h_\mu (g) \leq h_{\text{top}} (g)\). Equality holds if and only if \(\mu\) is the Bowen-Margulis measure \(\mu_{\text{BM}}\), and thus \(h_{\mu_{\text{BM}}} (g) = h_{\text{top}} (g) = h(g)\). Finally, for a pair of metrics \(g_0\) and \(g\) on \(M\), the geodesic stretch \(I_\mu (g_0,g)\) measures the ``stretching'' of the metric \(g\) relative to the metric \(g_0\) and a measure \(\mu\) invariant under the geodesic flow induced by \(g_0\). This concept was introduced by \textit{C. Croke} and \textit{A. Fathi}, who called it intersection [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 22, No. 5, 489-494 (1990; Zbl 0719.53020)]. It is defined as follows. Let \((SM)_{g_0}\) be the unit tangent bundle of \(M\) with respect to the metric \(g_0\). For \(\nu \in (SM)_{g_0}\), let \(c_v(s)\) be the geodesic (in the metric \(g_0)\) determined by the initial condition \(\dot c_v (0) = v\). Denote its lift to the universal cover \(\widetilde M\) by \(\widetilde c_v (s)\), and let \(a(v,t) = d_g (\widetilde c_v(0), \widetilde c_v (t))\) be the distance between the endpoints of the segment \(\{\widetilde c_v(s) : 0 \leq s \leq t\}\) with respect to the metric \(g\) lifted to \(\widetilde M\). If \(\mu\) is an invariant probability measure for the geodesic flow, \(\Phi_{g_0}\), induced by \(g_0\), then \[ I_\mu (g_0, g,v) : = \lim_{t \to \infty} {a(v,t) \over t} \] exists for \(\mu\) almost all \(v \in (SM)_{g_0}\) and defines a \(\mu\)-integrable function on \((SM)_{g_0}\) invariant under \(\Phi_{g_0}\). Furthermore \[ \int_{(SM)_{g_0}} I_\mu (g_0, g,v) d \mu = \lim_{t \to \infty} {1 \over t} \int_{(SM)_{g_0}} a(v,t) d \mu. \] Then \[ I_\mu (g_0,g) : = \int_{(SM)_{g_0}} I_\mu (g_0,g,v) d \mu \] is called the geodesic stretch of the metric \(g\) relative to \(g_0\) and the measure \(\mu\). The two main results of the paper are the following. Theorem 1.1. If \((M,g_0)\) is a compact space with no conjugate points and with ergodic geodesic flow, then for every metric \(g\) on \(M\) \[ h(g) \geq {1 \over I_{M_{\text{L}}} (g_0,g)} h_{M_{\text{L}}} (g_0), \] where \(M_{\text{L}}\) denotes the Liouville measure induced by the metric \(g_0\). Theorem 1.2. If \((M,g_0)\) is a compact space of negative curvature, then for every metric \(g\) on \(M\) \[ h(g) \geq {1 \over I_{\mu_{\text{BM}}} (g_0,g)} h(g_0). \] If \(g\) is also of negative curvature, equality holds if and only if the geodesic flows \(\Phi_{g_0}\) of \(g_0\) and \(\Phi_g\) of \(g\) are, up to a scaling, time preserving conjugate. The paper also contains a number of corollaries to these results which examine these asymptotic invariants associated with metrics belonging to various classes such as metrics of negative curvature and normal (maximal) entropy and, metrics of negative curvature and normalized volume.