No label defined (Q4370140)

Some new ideas and techniques introduced to study spaces with a given lower Ricci curvature bound are described in this survey. The main technical tool is a new estimate for distance functions. The first such estimate has been given by the author [\textit{T. H. Colding}, Invent. Math. 124, 175-191 (1996; Zbl 0871.53027)]; see also [\textit{T. H. Colding}, Invent. Math. 124, 193-214 (1996; Zbl 0871.53028); \textit{J. Cheeger} and \textit{T. H. Colding}, Ann. of Math. 144, 189-237 (1996; Zbl 0865.53037)] for later versions. This type of estimate has a large number of consequences, some of which are given in this survey. The geometry, topology and some analytic properties of manifolds with a given lower Ricci curvature bound as well as regularity properties of general metric spaces that are Gromov-Hausdorff limits of \(n\)-dimensional manifolds with a given lower Ricci curvature bound are discussed. In particular, some important recent results of the author and \textit{W. P. Minicozzi} II [J. Differ. Geom. 46, 1-77 (1997); Math. Res. Lett. 3, 723-729 (1996; Zbl 0884.58032); Ann. Math., II. Ser. 146, 725-747 (1997); Invent. Math. 131, 257-298 (1998)] on Yau's conjecture (saying that the space of harmonic functions of polynomial growth of a fixed rate is finite-dimensional on an open manifold with nonnegative Ricci curvature) are pointed out. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0871.00023].