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Peter M. Topping

Publications and source records attributed to Peter M. Topping.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

PIC1 pinched manifolds are flat or compact

Hamilton's pinching conjecture, that three-dimensional complete non-compact manifolds with pinched Ricci curvature are flat, has recently been resolved using Ricci flow. In this paper we prove a direct analogue of that result in all dimensions. In order to do so we develop a lifting technique that allows us to handle manifolds that are collapsed at infinity. This new method also gives an alternative way of handling collapsed manifolds in the known three-dimensional case. As part of this approach, we prove a Ricci flow curvature estimate of a type that would normally be derived from the Harnack inequality, but without requiring the strong curvature positivity hypothesis demanded by Harnack. We give an improved gap theorem as a further application.

math.DG↗
arXiv2026

The Harnack inequality without convexity for curve shortening flow

In 1995, Hamilton introduced a Harnack inequality for convex solutions of the mean curvature flow. In this paper we prove an alternative Harnack inequality for curve shortening flow, i.e. one-dimensional mean curvature flow, that does not require any assumption of convexity. For an initial proper curve in the plane whose ends are radial lines but which is otherwise arbitrarily wild, we use the Harnack inequality to give an explicit time by which the curve shortening flow evolution must become graphical. This gives a new instance of delayed parabolic regularity. The Harnack inequality also gives estimates describing how a polar graphical flow with radial ends settles down to an expanding solution. Finally, we relate our Harnack inequality to Hamilton's by identifying a pointwise curvature estimate implied by both Harnack inequalities in the special case of convex flows.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

Monotonicity of the modulus under curve shortening flow

Given two disjoint nested embedded closed curves in the plane, both evolving under curve shortening flow, we show that the modulus of the enclosed annulus is monotonically increasing in time. An analogous result holds within any ambient surface satisfying a lower curvature bound.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

Delayed parabolic regularity for curve shortening flow

Given two curves bounding a region of area $A$ that evolve under curve shortening flow, we propose the principle that the regularity of one should be controllable in terms of the regularity of the other, starting from time $A/\pi$. We prove several results of this form and demonstrate that no estimate can hold before that time. As an example application, we construct solutions to graphical curve shortening flow starting with initial data that is merely an $L^1$ function.

math.AP↗
arXiv2023

Ricci flow and PIC1

We survey several problems concerning Riemannian manifolds with positive curvature of one form or another. We describe the PIC1 notion of positive curvature and argue that it is often the sharp notion of positive curvature to consider. Finally we explain how recent Ricci flow theory is particularly well adapted to solve these problems.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

All two-dimensional expanding Ricci solitons

The second author and H. Yin have developed a Ricci flow existence theory that gives a complete Ricci flow starting with a surface equipped with a conformal structure and a nonatomic Radon measure as a volume measure. This led to the discovery of a large array of new expanding Ricci solitons. In this paper we use the recent uniqueness theory in this context, also developed by the second author and H. Yin, to give a complete classification of all expanding Ricci solitons on surfaces. Along the way, we prove a converse to the existence theory that is not constrained to solitons: every complete Ricci flow on a surface over a time interval $(0,\varepsilon)$ admits a $t\downarrow 0$ limit within the class of admissible initial data. This makes surfaces the first nontrivial setting for Ricci flow in which a bijection can be given between the entire set of complete Ricci flows over maximal time intervals $(0,T)$, and a class of initial data that induces them.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

Uniqueness of Ricci flows from nonatomic Radon measures on Riemann surfaces

In previous work we established the existence of a Ricci flow starting with a Riemann surface coupled with a nonatomic Radon measure as a conformal factor. In this paper we prove uniqueness. Combining these two works yields a canonical smoothing of such rough surfaces that also regularises their geometry at infinity.

math.DG↗
arXiv2022

Manifolds with PIC1 pinched curvature

Recently it has been proved (Lee-Topping 2022, Deruelle-Schulze-Simon 2022, Lott 2019) that three-dimensional complete manifolds with non-negatively pinched Ricci curvature must be flat or compact, thus confirming a conjecture of Hamilton. In this paper we generalise our work on the existence of Ricci flows from non-compact pinched three-manifolds in order to prove a higher-dimensional analogue. We construct a solution to Ricci flow, for all time, starting with an arbitrary complete non-compact manifold that is PIC1 pinched. As an application we prove that any complete manifold of non-negative complex sectional curvature that is PIC1 pinched must be flat or compact.

math.DG↗
arXiv2022

Time zero regularity of Ricci flow

We consider the problem of when a smooth Ricci flow, for positive time, that attains smooth initial data in a weak sense must be smooth down to the initial time. We obtain curvature estimates for an example where this fails. We prove a positive result in the case that the flow satisfies a lower IC1 curvature bound, equivalent to a lower Ricci bound in three dimensions. As an application, we prove that Gromov-Hausdorff limits of WPIC1 manifolds are WPIC1.

math.DG↗
arXiv2022

Three-manifolds with non-negatively pinched Ricci curvature

We show that every complete non-compact three-manifold with non-negatively pinched Ricci curvature admits a complete Ricci flow solution for all positive time, with scale-invariant curvature decay and preservation of pinching. Combining with recent work of Lott and Deruelle-Schulze-Simon gives a proof of Hamilton's pinching conjecture without additional hypotheses.

math.DG↗
arXiv2022

Metric limits of manifolds with positive scalar curvature

We show that any Riemannian metric conformal to the round metric on $S^n$, for $n\geq 4$, arises as a limit of a sequence of Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature on $S^n$ in the sense of uniform convergence of Riemannian distance. In particular, non-negativity of scalar curvature is not preserved under such limits.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Nontrivial breathers for Ricci flow

Perelman has proved that there cannot exist a nontrivial breather for Ricci flow on a closed manifold. Here we construct nontrivial expanding breathers for Ricci flow in all dimensions when the underlying manifold is allowed to be noncompact.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Loss of initial data under limits of Ricci flows

We construct a sequence of smooth Ricci flows on $T^2$, with standard uniform $C/t$ curvature decay, and with initial metrics converging to the standard flat unit-area square torus $g_0$ in the Gromov-Hausdorff sense, with the property that the flows themselves converge not to the static Ricci flow $g(t)\equiv g_0$, but to the static Ricci flow $g(t)\equiv 2g_0$ of twice the area.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Smoothing a measure on a Riemann surface using Ricci flow

We formulate and solve the existence problem for Ricci flow on a Riemann surface with initial data given by a Radon measure as volume measure. The theory leads us to a large class of new examples of nongradient expanding Ricci solitons, including the first example of a nongradient Kaehler Ricci soliton. It also settles the question of whether a smooth flow for positive time that attains smooth initial data in a distance metric sense must be smooth down to the initial time. We disprove this by giving an example of a complete Ricci flow starting with the Euclidean plane that is not the static solution.

math.DG↗
arXiv2020

Ricci flow and Ricci Limit Spaces

I survey some of the developments in the theory of Ricci flow and its applications from the past decade. I focus mainly on the understanding of Ricci flows that are permitted to have unbounded curvature in the sense that the curvature can blow up as we wander off to spatial infinity and/or as we decrease time to some singular time. Applications to the study of Ricci limit spaces are surveyed. I emphasise the intuition behind the subject.

math.DG↗
arXiv2020

Local mollification of Riemannian metrics using Ricci flow, and Ricci limit spaces

We use Ricci flow to obtain a local bi-Holder correspondence between Ricci limit spaces in three dimensions and smooth manifolds. This is more than a complete resolution of the three-dimensional case of the conjecture of Anderson-Cheeger-Colding-Tian, describing how Ricci limit spaces in three dimensions must be homeomorphic to manifolds, and we obtain this in the most general, locally non-collapsed case. The proofs build on results and ideas from recent papers of Hochard and the current authors.

math.DG↗
arXiv2019

Uniqueness and nonuniqueness of limits of Teichmueller harmonic map flow

The harmonic map energy of a map from a closed, constant-curvature surface to a closed target manifold can be seen as a functional on the space of maps and domain metrics. We consider the gradient flow for this energy. In the absence of singularities, previous theory established that the flow converges to a branched minimal immersion, but only at a sequence of times converging to infinity, and only after pulling back by a sequence of diffeomorphisms. In this paper we investigate whether it is necessary to pull back by these diffeomorphisms, and whether the convergence is uniform as time tends to infinity.

math.DG↗