A splitting theorem for spaces of Busemann non-positive curvature

Abstract

In this paper we introduce a new tool for decomposing Busemann non-positively curved (BNPC) spaces as products, and use it to extend several important results previously known to hold in speci fic cases like CAT(0) spaces. These results include a product decomposition theorem, a de Rham decomposition theorem, and a splitting theorem for actions of product groups on certain BNPC spaces. We study the Clifford isometries of BNPC spaces and show that they always form Abelian groups, answering a question raised by Gelander, Karlsson, and Margulis. In the smooth case of BNPC Finsler manifolds, we show that the fundamental groups have the duality property and generalize a splitting theorem previously known in the Riemannian case.