A duality theorem for Riemannian foliations in nonnegative sectional curvature (Q2475583)

The author associates to a given singular Riemannian foliation \(F\) another so-called dual foliation \(F^{\#}\) by defining \(L^{\#}:=\{a\in M:\) there is a piecewise smooth horizontal curve from \(p\) to \(q\}\) as dual leaf of a point \(p\in M\). He uses a new type of Jacobi field estimate to prove the duality theorem (and its corollaries) for singular Riemannian foliations. Theorem 2. Suppose that M is a complete nonnegatively curved manifold with a singular Riemannian foliation \(F\). Suppose the leaves of the dual foliation are complete. Then \(F^{\#}\) is a singular Riemannian foliation as well. It is shown that the dual foliation has intrinsically complete leaves if in addition one of the following holds: (a) \(F\) is given by the orbit decomposition of an isometric group action. (b) \(F\) is a non-singular foliation and \(M\) is compact. (c) \(F\) is given by the fibers of the Sharafutdinov retraction [see \textit{V. A. Sharafutdinov}, Sib. Math. J. 18, 649--657 (1978; Zbl 0411.53031)]. Theorem 2 can be interpreted as rigidity version of the following Theorem~1. Suppose that \(M\) is a complete positively curved manifold with a singular Riemannian foliation \(F\). Then the dual foliation has only one leaf. The corollaries concern the cases (a)--(c). For example, in case (c), the Sharafutdinov retraction is of class \(C^\infty\) (this was shown by \textit{G. Perelman} [J. Differ. Geom. 40, No. 1, 209--212 (1994; Zbl 0818.53056)] for the \(C^1\) case, and \textit{L. Guijarro} [Pac. J. Math. 196, No. 2, 429--444 (2000; Zbl 0969.53015)] for the \(C^2\) case). In case (a), the author obtains obstructions for invariant positively curved metrics on cohomogeneity one manifolds.