Gradient inequality and convergence of the normalized Ricci flow

Abstract

We study the problem of convergence of the normalized Ricci flow evolving on a compact manifold $\Omega$ without boundary. In \cite{KS10, KS15} we derived, via PDE techniques, global-in-time existence of the classical solution and pre-compactness of the orbit. In this work we show its convergence to steady-states, using a gradient inequality of {\L}ojasiewicz type. We have thus an alternative proof of \cite{ha}, but for general manifold $\Omega$ and not only for unit sphere. As a byproduct of that approach we also derive the rate of convergence according to this steady-sate being either degenerate or non-degenerate as a critical point of a related energy functional.