242 8. DILATIONS OF SINGULARITIES
which is the curvature bound we need for a subsequence to converge to a
Type I singularity model.
By classifying the limits of dilations of all sequences (xi, ti) chosen in
this manner, one can understand a Type I singularity at all fixed relative
scales in the interval (0, 1], where the relative curvature scale of a point
x E Mn at time t E [O, T) is defined to be the ratio
IRm (x, t) I
SUP Mn IRm (·, t) I"
There are certain properties common to any such limit.
PROPOSITION 8.20. Let (Mn,g (t)) exhibit a Type I singularity at T E
(0, oo), and let (xi, ti) be any globally curvature essential sequence. Then
any limit ( M~, g 00 ( t) ) is an ancient Type I singularity model that exhibits
a Type I singularity at some time w < oo.
PROOF. By the Type I singularity condition and Lemma 8.19, there
exist positive constants co < C such that
co c
-T :::; suplRm(-,t)I:::; --.
- t Mn T-t
Then by our choice of (xi, ti), there is c > 0 such that
c c
--T - ti -< IRm(xii · t)I i < - --T - ti.
The solutions (Mn, gi (t)) defined by (8.8) exist for -ai :::; t < wi, where
Cti =ti IRm (xi, ti)I > 0,
Wi = (T - ti) IRm (xi, ti)I > 0.
For any t E (ai,wi), the curvature Rmi of gi obeys the estimate
(8.12) __ c w· i_ :::; IRmi (x, t)I:::; __ C w· i _ _
C Wi - t C Wi - t
Indeed, one has
IRmi(x, t)I = IRm (~i, ti)l IRm (ti+ IRm (:i, ti)I) I
< T__ - t· i ---------C
- c T - ti - t IRm (xi, ti)l-^1
C Wi
C Wi - t'
with the other inequality being obtained similarly.
Now since c:::; wi :::; C for all i, we can choose a subsequence (xi, ti) such
that w ~ limi--->oo Wi exists. Since Cti 2'. T I Rm (Xi, ti) I - C, we have ai -+ oo
by (8.3). So any limit (M~, g 00 (t)) is defined on (-oo, w). For each time
t E (-oo,w), there is It so large that t E (-ai,wi) for all i 2'. It, whence