Nonnegative Ricci curvature, stability at infinity, and finite generation of fundamental groups

Abstract

We study the fundamental group of an open $n$-manifold $M$ of nonnegative Ricci curvature. We show that if there is an integer $k$ such that any tangent cone at infinity of the Riemannian universal cover of $M$ is a metric cone, whose maximal Euclidean factor has dimension $k$, then $\pi_1(M)$ is finitely generated. In particular, this confirms the Milnor conjecture for a manifold whose universal cover has Euclidean volume growth and the unique tangent cone at infinity.