$ε$-regularity for shrinking Ricci solitons and Ricci flows

Abstract

In [Cheeger-Tian 2005], Cheeger-Tian proved an $ε$-regularity theorem for $4$-dimensional Einstein manifolds without volume assumption. They conjectured that similar results should hold for critical metrics with constant scalar curvature, shrinking Ricci solitons, Ricci flows in $4$-dimensional manifolds and higher dimensional Einstein manifolds. In this paper we consider all these problems. First, we construct counterexamples to the conjecture for $4$-dimensional critical metrics and counterexamples to the conjecture for higher dimensional Einstein manifolds. For $4$-dimensional shrinking Ricci solitons, we prove an $ε$-regularity theorem which confirms Cheeger-Tian's conjecture with a universal constant $ε$. For Ricci flow, we reduce Cheeger-Tian's $ε$-regularity conjecture to a backward Pseudolocality estimate. By proving a global backward Pseudolocality theorem, we can prove a global $ε$-regularity theorem which partially confirms Cheeger-Tian's conjecture for Ricci flow. Furthermore, as a consequence of the $ε$-regularity, we can show by using the structure theorem of Naber-Tian \cite{NaTi} that a collapsed limit of shrinking Ricci solitons with bounded $L^2$ curvature has a smooth Riemannian orbifold structure away from a finite number of points.

22 pages