Rigidity of area non-increasing maps (Q7009926)

Given a smooth map \(f\) from a compact Riemannian \(m\)-manifold \((M,g)\) to a compact \(n\)-manifold \((N,h)\) we can consider a symmetric endomorphism \(B_f\) of the tangent space of \(M\) at each point, defined uniquely by the condition \(g(B_f(v),w) = h(f_*(v),f_*(w))\) for each \(v\), \(w\) in the tangent space. The \(m\) eigenvalues \(\mu\) of \(B_f\) then must be non-negative and thus may be written as \(\mu=\lambda^2\) where \(\lambda\) is non-negative. The area form of \(f^*h\) can be written as \N\begin{align*}\N& h(f_*(v),f_*(v))h(f_*(w),f_*(w))-h(f_*(v),f_*(w))^2 \\\N& = g(B_f(v),v)g(B_f(w),w) - g(B_f((v),w)^2 \\\N& = \lambda_i^2\lambda_j^2(g(v,v)g(w,w)-(g(v,w)^2)\N\end{align*}\Npicking \(v\) and \(w\) in eigenspaces with eigenvalues \(\lambda_i^2\) and \(\lambda_j^2\). Thus, the condition that \(f\) is area non-increasing may be characterized by the condition that \(\lambda_i \lambda_j \leq 1\) for all distinct \(i\) and \(j\).\N\NThe authors consider an area non-increasing smooth map \(f_0\) from a compact Riemannian \(m\)-manifold \((M,g)\) to a compact Riemannian \(n\)-manifold \((N,h)\) (where \(m,n \geq 3\)) satisfying one of the following conditions:\N\N-- in the event that \(m \geq n\), either the difference between the minimum Ricci curvature of \(M\) and the maximum Ricci curvature of \(N\) plus \(m-n\) times the minimum sectional curvature of \(M\) is non-negative and the sum of the minimal sectional curvatures of \(M\) and \(N\) is positive, or the minimal sectional curvature of \(M\) is positive and the maximal sectional curvature of \(N\) is bounded above by the minimal sectional curvature of \(M\),\N\N-- in the event that \(n > m\), either the difference between the minimum Ricci curvature of \(M\) and the maximum Ricci curvature of \(N\) plus \(n-m\) times the minimum sectional curvature of \(M\) is non-negative and the sum of the curvature minima of \(M\) and \(N\) is positive, or the sectional curvature of \(M\) is positive and \((n-1)\) times the maximum sectional curvature of \(M\) is bounded above by \(2m-n-1\) times the minimal sectional curvature of \(M\). \N\NThen, the authors show that either \(f_0\) is homotopically trivial, or is a Riemannian submersion if \(m>n\), a local isometry if \(m=n\), or an isometric immersion if \(m<n\).\N\NThey go on to consider area non-increasing smooth maps \(f_0\) from a compact, locally irreducible but not locally symmetric Riemannian \(m\)-manifold \((M,g)\) with non-negative 1-isotropic curvature to a compact \(n\)-manifold \((N,h)\) (where \(m,n \geq 3\)) satisfying that the minimum of the scalar curvature of \(M\) is bounded below by \(m/n\) times the maximum of the scalar curvature of \(N\) and either \(N\) is a non-negatively curved Einstein manifold or the sectional curvature of \(N\) is non-positive. Under these assumptions they prove that either \(f_0\) is homotopically trivial, or a local isometry if \(m=n\) or an isometric immersion if \(m<n\).\N\NTo prove the first result, the authors employ a strong maximum principle argument with a static background. For the second result, they arrive at the result by combining evolving backgrounds with Ricci flow and utilize the strong maximum principle in conjunction with Brendle's sphere theorem.