In Riemannian geometry, the Rauch comparison theorem, named after Harry Rauch who proved it in 1951, is a fundamental result which relates the sectional curvature of a Riemannian manifold to the rate at which geodesics spread apart. Intuitively, it states that for positive curvature, geodesics tend to converge, while for negative curvature, geodesics tend to spread. This theorem is formulated using Jacobi fields to measure the variation in geodesics.
Let M , M ~ be Riemannian manifolds, let γ : [ 0 , T ] → M and γ ~ : [ 0 , T ] → M ~ be unit speed geodesic segments such that γ ~ ( 0 ) has no conjugate points along γ ~ , and let J , J ~ be normal Jacobi fields along γ and γ ~ such that J ( 0 ) = J ~ ( 0 ) = 0 and | D t J ( 0 ) | = | D ~ t J ~ ( 0 ) | . Suppose that the sectional curvatures of M and M ~ satisfy K ( Π ) ≤ K ~ ( Π ~ ) whenever Π ⊂ T γ ( t ) M is a 2-plane containing γ ˙ ( t ) and Π ~ ⊂ T γ ~ ( t ) M ~ is a 2-plane containing γ ~ ˙ ( t ) . Then | J ( t ) | ≥ | J ~ ( t ) | for all t ∈ [ 0 , T ] .
