Rigidity of compact four-dimensional weakly Einstein Ricci Solitons

Abstract

We prove that every compact four-dimensional weakly Einstein Ricci soliton is Einstein. The nontrivial compact case reduces to the gradient shrinking setting, where a differential identity for weakly Einstein four-manifolds, together with the curvature identity for gradient Ricci solitons, yields the pointwise relation $|R|^2\nabla f=0$ for the soliton potential $f$. Consequently, no compact proper weakly Einstein four-manifold admits a Ricci soliton structure. A noncompact homogeneous example shows that the compactness assumption is essential.