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Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bray, HL; Neves, A
Published in: Annals of Mathematics
January 2004

In this paper we compute the σ-invariants (sometimes also called the smooth Yamabe invariants) of RP3 and RP2×S1 (which are equal) and show that the only prime 3-manifolds with larger σ-invariants are S3, S2×S1, and S2×~S1 (the nonorientable S2 bundle over S1). More generally, we show that any 3-manifold with σ-invariant greater than RP3 is either S3, a connect sum with an S2 bundle over S1, or has more than one nonorientable prime component. A corollary is the Poincaré conjecture for 3-manifolds with σ-invariant greater than RP3. Surprisingly these results follow from the same inverse mean curvature flow techniques which were used by Huisken and Ilmanen in [7] to prove the Riemannian Penrose Inequality for a black hole in a spacetime. Richard Schoen made the observation [18] that since the constant curvature metric (which is extremal for the Yamabe problem) on RP3 is in the same conformal class as the Schwarzschild metric (which is extremal for the Penrose inequality) on RP3 minus a point, there might be a connection between the two problems. The authors found a strong connection via inverse mean curvature flow.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Annals of Mathematics

Publication Date

January 2004

Volume

159

Issue

1

Start / End Page

407 / 424

Related Subject Headings

  • General Mathematics
  • 4904 Pure mathematics
  • 0101 Pure Mathematics
 

Citation

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Bray, H. L., & Neves, A. (2004). Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3. Annals of Mathematics, 159(1), 407–424.
Bray, H. L., and A. Neves. “Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3.” Annals of Mathematics 159, no. 1 (January 2004): 407–24.
Bray HL, Neves A. Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3. Annals of Mathematics. 2004 Jan;159(1):407–24.
Bray, H. L., and A. Neves. “Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3.” Annals of Mathematics, vol. 159, no. 1, Jan. 2004, pp. 407–24.
Bray HL, Neves A. Classification of Prime 3-Manifolds with Yamabe Invariant Greater than RP^3. Annals of Mathematics. 2004 Jan;159(1):407–424.

Published In

Annals of Mathematics

Publication Date

January 2004

Volume

159

Issue

1

Start / End Page

407 / 424

Related Subject Headings

  • General Mathematics
  • 4904 Pure mathematics
  • 0101 Pure Mathematics