Related papers: The Higher Rank Rigidity Theorem for Manifolds Wit…

Let $M$ be complete nonpositively curved Riemannian manifold of finite volume whose fundamental group $\Gamma$ does not contain a finite index subgroup which is a product of infinite groups. We show that the universal cover $\tilde M$ is a…

We discuss the rigidity (or lack thereof) imposed by different notions of having an abundance of zero curvature planes on a complete Riemannian 3-manifold. We prove a rank rigidity theorem for complete 3-manifolds, showing that having…

A Riemannian manifold $M$ has higher hyperbolic rank if every geodesic has a perpendicular Jacobi field making sectional curvature -1 with the geodesic. If in addition, the sectional curvatures of $M$ lie in the interval $[-1,-\frac14]$,…

We establish a global rigidity theorem for Riemannian metrics without conjugate points on three-manifolds of the form $M = \Sigma \times S^1$, where $\Sigma$ is a compact orientable surface of genus at least 2. The main result states that…

We classify all closed, aspherical Riemannian manifolds M whose universal cover has indiscrete isometry group. One sample application is the theorem that any such M with word-hyperbolic fundamental group must be isometric to a negatively…

Given a complex Hilbert space H, we study the differential geometry of the manifold M of all projections in V:=L(H). Using the algebraic structure of V, a torsionfree affine connection $\nabla$ (that is invariant under the group of…

Rigidity results are obtained for Riemannian $d$-manifolds with $\sec \geqslant 1$ and spherical rank at least $d-2>0$. Conjecturally, all such manifolds are locally isometric to a round sphere or complex projective space with the…

This belongs to a series of papers motivated by Ballmann's Higher Rank Rigidity Conjecture. We prove the following. Let $X$ be a CAT(0) space with a geometric group action. Suppose that every geodesic in $X$ lies in an $n$-flat, $n\geq 2$.…

We generalize the higher rank rigidity theorem to a class of Finsler spaces, i.e. Berwald spaces. More precisely, we prove that a complete connected Berwald space of finite volume and bounded nonpositive flag curvature with rank at least…

We prove two rigidity results for complete Riemannian three-manifolds of higher rank. Complete three-manifolds have higher spherical rank if an only if they are spherical space forms. Complete finite volume three-manifolds have higher…

A closed connected oriented Riemannian manifold $N$ with non-vanishing Euler characteristic, non-negative curvature operator and $0< 2\text{Ric}_N<\text{scal}_N$ is area-rigid in the sense that any area non-increasing spin map $f\colon M\to…

Comparison theorems are foundational to our understanding of the geometric features implied by various curvature constraints. This paper considers manifolds with a positive lower bound on either scalar, 2-Ricci, or Ricci curvature, and…

Let M be a complete Riemannian manifold whose sectional curvature is bounded above by 1. We say that M has positive spherical rank if along every geodesic one hits a conjugate point at t=\pi. The following theorem is then proved: If M is a…

Ballmann's Rank Rigidity Conjecture predicts that a CAT(0) space of higher rank with a geometric group action is rigid -- isometric to a Riemannian symmetric space, a Euclidean building, or splits as a direct product. We confirm this…

We introduce a new geometric approach to a manifold equipped with a smooth density function that takes a torsion-free affine connection, as opposed to a weighted measure or Laplacian, as the fundamental object of study. The connection…

For convex real projective manifolds we prove an analogue of the higher rank rigidity theorem of Ballmann and Burns-Spatzier.

We give a classification of many closed Riemannian manifolds M whose universal cover possesses a nontrivial amount of symmetry. More precisely, we consider closed Riemannian manifolds $M$ such that Isom$(\widetilde{M})$ has noncompact…

We prove two rigidity theorems for open (complete and noncompact) $n$-manifolds $M$ with nonnegative Ricci curvature and the infimum of volume growth order $<2$. The first theorem asserts that the Riemannian universal cover of $M$ has…

The set of totally geodesic representatives of a homotopy class of maps from a compact Riemannian manifold $M$ with nonnegative Ricci curvature into a complete Riemannian manifold $N$ with no focal points is path-connected and, when…

The question, under what geometric assumptions on a space X an n-quasiflat in X implies the existence of an n-flat therein, has been investigated for a long time. It was settled in the affirmative for Busemann spaces by Kleiner, and for…