On the curvature ODE associated to the Ricci flow

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Abstract: In the vector space of algebraic curvature operators we study the reaction ODE frac{dR}{dt} = R^2+R^{#}= Q(R) which is associated to the evolution equation of the Riemann curvature oper- ator along the Ricci flow. More precisely, we analyze the stability of a special class of zeros of this ODE up to suitable normalization. In particular, we show that the ODE is unstable near the curvature operators of the Riemannian product spaces MimesmathbbRk,kgeq0 where M is an Einstein (locally) symmetric space of compact type and not a spherical space form when k=0.


In the vector space of algebraic curvature operators, the authors study the reaction ODE \[ \frac{dR}{dt}=R^2+R^{\sharp}=Q(R)\,\,\,\,\,\, (1) \] which is associated to the evolution equation of the Riemann curvature operator along the Ricci flow. Let \(s(R)\) be the scalar curvature of \(R\). Define the vector field \(\widetilde{Q}\) on the hyperplane \[ S_1=\{R\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^n) : s(R)=1\}\subset S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^n) \] by \[ \widetilde{Q}:R\longmapsto \widetilde{Q}(R)=Q(R)-{||\mathrm{Ric}(R)||}^2R, \,\,\,R\in S_1. \] The main results of the paper are the following: {Theorem 1.} (1) The only algebraic curvature operator \(R\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^4)\) which is a zero of \(Q\) is the zero curvature operator. (2) If \(R\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^4)\) is an Einstein algebraic curvature operator which is a zero of \(\widetilde{Q}\), then \(R\) is the curvature operator of a (locally) symmetric space with unit scalar curvature. {Theorem \, 2.} For dimension \(n+1, \, n\geq3\); if \(R\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^{n+1})\) is an algebraic curvature operator of Ricci type which is not a multiple of the identity operator and \(\widetilde{Q}(R)=0\), then up to the action of the orthogonal group, \(R\) is the curvature operator of \(S^n\times \mathbb{R}\) corresponding to the standard product metric normalized to unit scalar curvature. {Theorem \, 3.} Let \(\breve{R}\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^{n+k})\, (k\geq0)\) be a product curvature operator of the form of a block matrix whose first block is \(\widehat{R}\) and whose other blocks are zero matrices, where \(\widehat{R}\in S^2_B(\wedge^2\,\mathbb{R}^{n})\) is an Einstein algebraic curvature operator with positive scalar curvature satisfying \(Q(\widehat{R})=\lambda \widehat{R}\) for some \(\lambda>0\). Assume further that \(\widehat{R}\) is not a multiple of the identity operator when \(k=0\). Then the ODE (1) behaves unstably near \(\breve{R}\). {Corollary.} The reaction ODE (1) behaves unstably near the curvature operator of the Riemannian product \(M\times \mathbb{R}^k\) for \(k\geq0\), where \(M\) is an Einstein symmetric space with positive scalar curvature and not a spherical space form when \(k=0\).











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