Non-singular solutions to the normalized Ricci flow equation (Q2465224)

The authors consider non-singular solutions to the normalized Ricci flow equation on a closed \(n\)-dimensional manifold \(M\): \[ \frac{\partial}{\partial t} g = -2 \operatorname{Ric}+\frac{2r}{n}g, \qquad g(0)=g_0, \] where Ric and \(r\) denote the Ricci tensor and the average scalar curvature of the Riemannian metric \(g\), respectively. By definition a solution is referred to as non-singular if the flow exists for all time \(t\geq 0\) and the Riemannian curvature tensor is bounded uniformly. Three-dimensional non-singular solutions were classified by \textit{R. S. Hamilton} [Commun. Anal. Geom. 7, No. 4, 695--729 (1999; Zbl 0939.53024)] who demonstrated that the underlying manifold \(M\) is geometrizable in the sence of Thurston. The authors generalize Hamilton's results to higher dimensions, the main result is the following theorem: Any non-singular solution to the normalized Ricci flow on a closed manifold \(M\) does one of the following things: the solution collapses; the solution converges along a subsequence to a shrinking Ricci soliton solution; the solution converges along a subsequence to a Ricci flat metric solution; the solution converges along a subsequence to a negative Einstein metric solution; the solution converges along a subsequence of time and space points to a complete non-compact negative Einstein metric solution in the pointed Gromov-Hausdorff sense. The second part of the paper is devoted to a detailed analysis of the four-dimensional case. The authors generalize the Hitchin-Torpe inequality in the following way: Let \(M\) be a closed oriented \(4\)-manifold, \(\{g(t)\}_{t\geq 0}\) be a non-singular solution to the normalized Ricci flow. Then \(M\) satisfies one of the following: \(M\) admits a shrinking Ricci soliton; \(M\) admits a positive rank \(F\)-structure; the Hitchin-Torpe inequality holds, \(\kappa(M)\leq 3 |\tau (M)|\), where \(\kappa(M)\) and \(\tau (M)\) are the Euler characteristic and the signature of \(M\), respectively. As a consequence, if a closed four-manifold admits a non-singular solution, then its Euler characteristic is non-negative.