Geometry of d'Atri spaces of type \(k\) (Q1959098)

A Riemannian \(n\)-dimensional manifold \(M\) is a D'Atri space of type \(k\) (or \(k\)-D'Atri space), \(1\leq k\leq n-1,\) if the geodesic symmetries preserve the \(k\)-th elementary symmetric functions of the eigenvalues of the shape operators of all small geodesic spheres in \(M\). Symmetric spaces are \(k\)-D'Atri spaces for all possible \(k\geq 1\) and the property \(1\)-D'Atri is the D'Atri condition in the usual sense. The authors study some aspects of the geometry of \(k\)-D'Atri spaces, in particular those related to properties of Jacobi operators along geodesics. They show that \(k\)-D'Atri spaces for all \(k=1,\dots,l\) satisfy that \({\text{{tr}}(R_{v}^{k})}\), \(v\) a unit vector in \(TM,\) is invariant under the geodesic flow for all \(k=1,\dots,l\). Further, if \(M\) is \(k\)-D'Atri for all \(k=1,\dots,n-1,\) then the eigenvalues of Jacobi operators are constant functions along geodesics. In the case of spaces of Iwasawa type, \(k\)-D'Atri spaces for all \(k=1,\dots,n-1\) are exactly the symmetric spaces of noncompact type. Moreover, in the class of Damek-Ricci spaces, the symmetric spaces of rank one are characterized as those that are \(3\)-D'Atri.