Ricci flow on three-dimensional manifolds with symmetry (Q2448612)

The authors describe the Ricci flow on two classes of compact three-dimensional manifolds, warped product manifolds and manifolds with a free local isometric \(T^2\)-action. Let \(N^3 = M^2 \times S^1\) with a warped product metric \(h = g + e^{2u} d\theta^2\). Here \(M\) is a closed surface, \(g\) is a Riemannian metric on \(M\), \(u\) is a smooth function on \(M\) and \(\theta \in [0, 2\pi)\). Let \(h(t)\) be a Ricci flow solution on \(N\) such that \(h(0)\) is the warped product metric of above. The authors prove the following: (1) If \(\chi(M) >0\), then there is a finite singularity time \(T < \infty\). As \(t \to T^-\), the length of the circle fibers remain bounded above and below. For any \(p \in N\), the pointed smooth limit \(\lim_{t \to T^-}(N, p, \frac{1}{T-t}h(t))\) exists and is the isometric product of \(\mathbb R\) with a sphere \(S^2\) of constant curvature \(\frac{1}{2}\). (2) If \(\chi(M) \leq 0\), then the Ricci flow exists for all \(t \in [0, \infty)\), and there is a positive constant \(C\) such that \(|\mathrm{Rm}^N| (p, t) \leq \frac{C}{t}\). (3) If \(\chi(M) = 0\), then \(\lim_{t\to \infty} h(t)\) exists and is a flat metric on \(T^3\). (4) If \(\chi(M)<0\), then the maximum scalar curvature on the thick part of \(M\) with respect to the metric \(\frac{g(t)}{t}\) tends to \(-1\) as \(t \to \infty\). In the second part, the authors consider the Ricci flow on an orientable three-dimensional manifold that fibers over \(S^1\) with \(T^2\)-fibers. Such an \(N\) can be considered as the total space of a twisted principal \(\mathrm {U}(1) \times \text{U}(1)\) bundle, where the twisting is determined by the holonomy of the torus bundle. Under these assumptions, the authors show that if \(h(t)\) is a Ricci flow solution on \(N\) such that \(h(0)\) is invariant under the local \(\mathrm {U}(1) \times \mathrm {U}(1)\) actions, then the Ricci flow exists for all \(t \in [0, \infty)\), and there is a positive constant \(C\) such that \(|\mathrm {Rm}^N| (p, t) \leq \frac{C}{t}\).