248 8. DILATIONS OF SINGULARITIES
by noting a consequence of the formula
(8.24)
d
d Lt( 'Yt) = -
2
1
1 ~g (S, S) ds -1 (\7 sS, V) ds
t "It ut "It
derived in Lemma 3.11.
COROLLARY 8.24. Let 'Yt be a time-dependent family of curves with fixed
endpoints in a solution (Mn, g (t)) of the Ricci flow. If "ft is a constant path
or if each 'Yt is geodesic with respect to g ( t), then
d
d Lt( "ft ) = -1 Re (S, S) ds.
t "It
PROOF. The last term in formula (8.24) vanishes if the paths 'Yt are
independent of time or variations through geodesics. D
PROPOSITION 8.25. Let (Mn,g(t)) be any solution of the Riccifiow on
[O, oo). There exists a constant c > 0 depending only on n such that a 2: c
if Mn is not a nilmanifold.
PROOF. We claim there is c = c: (n) > 0 small enough so that if
(8.25) a = limsup (tsup !Rm(·, t)I) ::; c:,
t-+oo Mn
then there exist C < oo, o > 0, and TE; < oo depending only on n such that
(8.26) diam(Mn,g(t))::; Ct^112 -o
for t 2: TE;. Setting
s~ sup (tsuplRm(-,t)I) <oo,
Mnx[O,oo) Mn
the claim implies that for all t E (0, oo ),
sup !Rm(-, t)I [diam (Mn,g(t))]^2 ::; SC^2 c^20 ,
Mn
hence that Mn is a nilmanifold, because SC^2 c^20 ____, O as t ____, oo.
To prove the claim, let 'Y : [a, b] ____, Mn be a fixed path and put
L ( t) ~ length 'Y.
g(t)
Then
dt dL = -^1
7
Re (T, T) ds
by Corollary 8.24, and so