The higher rank rigidity theorem for manifolds with no focal points (Q1953090)

The author extends the rank rigidity theorem of Ballmann and Burns-Spatzier, and its later version by Eberlein-Heber, to manifolds without focal points. More precisely, let \(M\) be a complete, simply connected, irreducible Riemannian manifold with no focal points, \(\mathrm{rank}(M) \geq 2\) and isometry group \(\Gamma\). Assume that \(\Gamma\)-recurrent vectors are dense in the unit tangent bundle of \(M\). Then \(M\) is a symmetric space of noncompact type. As a corollary, the author proves that if \(N\) is a complete, finite volume, irreducible Riemannian manifold without focal points and \(\mathrm{rank}(N) \geq 2\), then \(N\) is locally symmetric. From the main result also follows the following decomposition theorem. Let \(M\) be a complete, simply connected, irreducible Riemannian manifold with no focal points and isometry group \(\Gamma\). Assume that \(\Gamma\)-recurrent vectors are dense in the unit tangent bundle of \(M\). Then \(M\) is the Riemannian product \[ M = M_0 \times M_S \times M_1 \times \cdots \times M_l, \] where \(M_0\) is a Euclidean space, \(M_S\) is a symmetric space of noncompact type and higher rank, and \(M_1, \dots, M_l\) are irreducible rank-one Riemannian manifolds with no focal points. Finally, it is proved that for compact quotients of manifolds with no focal points the rank is an invariant of the fundamental group. This extends the result by Eberlein-Heber for finite volume manifolds of nonpositive curvature.