On the long-time behavior of type-III Ricci flow solutions

We show that three-dimensional homogeneous Ricci flow solutions that admit finite-volume quotients have long-time limits given by expanding solitons. We show that the same is true for a large class of four-dimensional homogeneous solutions. We give an extension of Hamilton's compactness theorem that does not assume a lower injectivity radius bound, in terms of Riemannian groupoids. Using this, we show that the long-time behavior of type-III Ricci flow solutions is governed by the dynamics of an R^+ action on a compact space.Comment: final versio

Higher-Degree Analogs of the Determinant Line Bundle

In the first part of this paper, given a smooth family of Dirac-type operators on an odd-dimensional closed manifold, we construct an abelian gerbe-with-connection whose curvature is the three-form component of the Atiyah-Singer families index theorem. In the second part of the paper, given a smooth family of Dirac-type operators whose index lies in the i-th filtration of the reduced K-theory of the parametrizing space, we construct a set of Deligne cohomology class of degree i whose curvatures are the i-form component of the Atiyah-Singer families index theorem.Comment: Final versio

Some Geometric Properties of the Bakry-Emery-Ricci Tensor

The Bakry-Emery tensor gives an analog of the Ricci tensor for a Riemannian manifold with a smooth measure. We show that some of the topological consequences of having a positive or nonnegative Ricci tensor are also valid for the Bakry-Emery tensor. We show that the Bakry-Emery tensor is nondecreasing under a Riemannian submersion whose fiber transport preserves measures up to constants. We give some relations between the Bakry-Emery tensor and measured Gromov-Hausdorff limits.Comment: final versio