OpenAI reports a Ricci-flow singularity with bounded scalar curvature

In sufficiently high dimension, a Ricci flow on a closed manifold reaches finite maximal time while scalar curvature remains uniformly bounded and full curvature diverges.

Sources for this record

What was already known

Scalar-curvature extension conjectures predicted that finite-time singularities on closed Ricci flows force unbounded scalar curvature. Stolarski’s earlier conical examples suggested bounded scalar curvature but did not establish that bound.

AI involvement AI-led

OpenAI credits itself as manuscript author and states that its internal frontier model produced the results in this release. Individual human input is not detailed enough to establish task-only autonomy.

OpenAI is named as author on the manuscript, and its release attributes the results to an internal frontier model. The individual human input is not detailed enough to establish autonomy.

Importance Major

Disproves the unrestricted all-dimensional scalar-curvature extension conjecture.

Limitations

The construction is in sufficiently high dimension; it gives no dimension-four counterexample.

Technical verification Reported

Reported is the default when evidence for a higher level is insufficient. The OpenAI-authored manuscript reports and argues the result, but the reviewed sources do not document a completed check of the full assessed claim.

Human understanding Few

Few is the default when evidence for a higher level is insufficient. No named person is documented as explaining the central argument for this assessed contribution.

Correction and publication history

2026-10-18 · publication

Primary manuscript, attribution, and prior-work review for non-notifying local inclusion; technical verification remains Reported.

Read this published revision