Three-manifolds with constant vector curvature

Abstract

A connected Riemannian manifold M has constant vector curvature \epsilon, denoted by cvc(\epsilon), if every tangent vector v in TM lies in a 2-plane with sectional curvature \epsilon. By scaling the metric on M, we can always assume that \epsilon = -1, 0, or 1. When the sectional curvatures satisfy the additional bound that each sectional curvature is less than or equal to \epsilon, or that each sectional curvature is greater than or equal to \epsilon, we say that, \epsilon, is an extremal curvature. In this paper we study three-manifolds with constant vector curvature. Our main results show that finite volume cvc(\epsilon) three-manifolds with extremal curvature \epsilon are locally homogenous when \epsilon=-1 and admit a local product decomposition when \epsilon=0. As an application, we deduce a hyperbolic rank-rigidity theorem.