Topology of complete manifolds with radial curvature bounded from below (Q2475587)

The sphere theorem of Riemannian geometry, as finally established by \textit{K. Grove} and \textit{K. Shiohama} [Ann. Math. (2) 106, 201--211 (1977; Zbl 0341.53029)] is extended to \( n \)-manifolds with base point. The fixed positive lower bound for the sectional curvature is then replaced by a variable bound for the radial curvature resulting from the Gaussian curvature \( K \) of a von Mangoldt comparison surface. The latter is defined by the metric \( dt^{2}+f(t)^{2}d\theta^{2} \) in geodesic polar coordinates, with the origin corresponding to the base point \( p \) such that \( f''+Kf = 0 \) and \( f(0) = 0 \), \( f'(0) = 1 \). Moreover, the definition includes that \( K: \left[0,\ell\right[ \to \mathbb{R} \) should monotonically decrease on \( \left]0,\ell\right[ \). Besides the basic hypothesis that the radial curvature of \( (M,p) \) is bounded below by \( K \) there are additional assumptions (like in the original sphere theorem) which in the compact case ensure that \( M \) is homeomorphic to the sphere \( \mathbb{S}^{n} \) and in the con-compact complete case that \( M \) has one resp. finitely many ends. The additional assumptions concern properties of the distance quantity \( \sup_{x\in M} d(p,x) \), the first zero of \( f' \) and several volumes on the model spaces (compact case), resp. on the sign of the modelling total curvature (non-compact case). The class of metrics here is more general because the radial curvature may change sign, and the original sphere theorem is covered as a special case. A main tool in the proof is the Alexandrov/Toponogov angle comparison theorem for geodesic triangles.