Singular sets in noncollapsed Ricci flow limit spaces

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the structure and rectifiability of singular sets in noncollapsed Ricci flow limit spaces, providing dimension bounds, volume estimates, and applications to Perelman's conjecture.

Contribution

It introduces a stratification of the singular set, proves rectifiability and volume bounds, and applies these results to resolve a key conjecture in three-dimensional Ricci flows.

Findings

The singular set admits a natural stratification with Minkowski dimension bounds.

Certain subsets of the singular set are parabolic k-rectifiable.

Established a sharp volume bound for the singular set in four dimensions.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the singular set $\mathcal{S}$ of a noncollapsed Ricci flow limit space, arising as the pointed Gromov--Hausdorff limit of a sequence of closed Ricci flows with uniformly bounded entropy. The singular set $\mathcal{S}$ admits a natural stratification: \begin{equation*} \mathcal S^0 \subset \mathcal S^1 \subset \cdots \subset \mathcal S^{n-2}=\mathcal S, \end{equation*} where a point $z \in \mathcal S^k$ if and only if no tangent flow at $z$ is $(k+1)$-symmetric. In general, the Minkowski dimension of $\mathcal S^k$ with respect to the spacetime distance is at most $k$. We show that the subset $\mathcal{S}^k_{\mathrm{qc}} \subset \mathcal{S}^k$, consisting of points where some tangent flow is given by a standard cylinder or its quotient, is parabolic $k$-rectifiable. In dimension four, we prove the stronger statement that each stratum $\mathcal{S}^k$ is parabolic $k$-rectifiable for $k \in \{0, 1, 2\}$. Furthermore, we establish a sharp uniform $\mathscr{H}^2$-volume bound for $\mathcal{S}$ and show that, up to a set of $\mathscr{H}^2$-measure zero, the tangent flow at any point in $\mathcal{S}$ is backward unique. In addition, we derive $L^1$-curvature bounds for four-dimensional closed Ricci flows. As an application, we resolve Perelman's bounded diameter conjecture for three-dimensional closed Ricci flows.