- BASIC SINGULARITY THEORY FOR RICCI FLOW 467
3.3. Trace Harnack inequality. Given a surface (M^2 , g) with posi-
tive curvature, the trace Harnack quantity is defined by
a
(Vl-5.35) Q = ~log R + R - r = at log R - IV' log Rl^2 •
(Also see Lemma 5.35 on p. 144 of Volume One.)
We have the following differential Harnack estimate of Li-Yau-Hamilton-
type. (See Corollary 5.56 on p. 145 of Volume One.)
COROLLARY A.42 (2d trace Harnack evolution and estimate). On any
solution of the normalized Ricci flow (A.19) on a complete surface with
bounded positive scalar curvature, Q satisfies the evolutionary inequality
(Vl-5.38)
a
at Q 2:: ~Q + 2 (V'Q, V' L) + Qz + rQ.
For the unnormalized flow (A.18), the analogous quantity
(Vl-p. 169a) Q -=~log R + R = at a log R - IV' log RI^2
satisfies
(Vl-5.57) :t Q 2:: ~Q + 2 ( V' Q' V' L) + {J2.
By the maximum principle,
(Vl-p.169b)
- 1
Q (x, t) + t 2:: 0
for all x E M and t > 0.
In all dimensions, we have the following. (See Proposition 9.20 on p. 274
of Volume One.)
PROPOSITION A.43 (Trace Harnack estimate). If (Mn, g (t)) is a solu-
tion of the Ricci flow on a complete manifold with bounded positive curvature
operator, then for any vector field X on M and all times t > 0 such that
the solution exists, one has
(Vl-p.274)
aR R
8t + t + 2 (V'R,X) + 2Rc (X,X) 2:: 0.
The proof of Proposition A.43 will be given in Part IL When n = 2,
by choosing the minimizing vector field X = -R-^1 \i'R, it can be seen that
(Vl-p.274) is equivalent to (Vl-p.169b).
One also has Corollary 9.21 on p. 274 of Volume One, namely
COROLLARY A.44 (Trace Harnack consequence, tR monotonicity). If
(Mn,g (t)) is a solution of the Ricci flow on a complete manifold with
bounded curvature operator, then the function tR is pointwise nondecreasing
for all t 2:: 0 for which the solution exists. If (M, g (t)) is also ancient, then
R itself is pointwise nondecreasing.