\(1/4\)-pinched contact sphere theorem (Q525701)

There are many results in the literature that fall within the framework of ``the sphere theorem''. The classical sphere theorem states that a compact, simply connected Riemannian manifold whose sectional curvature satisfies \({1\over 4}<\text{sec}(g)\leq 1\) is homeomorphic to a sphere (\textit{M. Berger} [Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Sci. Fis. Mat., III. Ser. 14, 161--170 (1960; Zbl 0096.15502)] for even dimensions and \textit{W. Klingenberg} [Comment. Math. Helv. 35, 47--54 (1961; Zbl 0133.15005)] for odd dimensions). \textit{R. S. Hamilton} [J. Differ. Geom. 17, 255--306 (1982; Zbl 0504.53034)], by means of Ricci flow techniques, extended the result in the 3-dimensional case to pinching by any positive constant and up to diffeomorphism. The purpose of the present paper is to study this question in the context of contact metric geometry. The main result of the paper is the following: If the sectional curvature of a closed contact metric 3-manifold satisfies \({1\over 4}<\text{sec}(g)\leq 1\), then the universal cover with the lifted contact structure is contactomorphic to \(S^3\) with its standard contact metric structure (Sasakian structure of constant curvature +1). The authors raise the question of whether or not \({1\over 4}\)-pinching is best possible and this seems to be a reasonable question. For example, it is known that a complete, simply connected, Sasakian manifold of positive Riemannian pinching and of constant scalar curvature is ``D-homothetic'' to the unit sphere, [\textit{E. M. Moskal}, Contact manifolds of positive curvature. Champaign, IL, University of Illinois (Diss.) (1966)]. ``D-homothetic'' refers to a change of contact metric structure that multiplies the metric on the contact sub-bundle by a constant \(a\) and divides the Reeb vector field by \(a\). Also a compact Sasakian manifold of sectional curvature greater than \(-3\) is a homology sphere, [\textit{S. Tanno}, PhD. thesis, Tôhoku Univ. (1967); see also Tohoku Math. J. (2) 21, 501--507 (1969; Zbl 0188.26801)]. Proofs of the two results mentioned in this paragraph can be found in [\textit{S. Sasaki}, Almost contact manifolds. Lecture Note. Math. Inst. Tôhoku Univ. (1965)]. In the non-compact case the authors of the present paper prove the following: Let \(M\) be an open contact metric manifold of nonnegative sectional curvature and positive sectional curvature on \(M\backslash K\) where \(K\) is a compact subset of \(M\). Then the contact structure is tight; ``tightness'' is in contrast to be being ``overtwisted''. See,, e.g., [\textit{H. Geiges}, An introduction to contact topology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2008; Zbl 1153.53002)].