Morse index and the stability of closed geodesics

摘要

Let ind(c) be the Morse index of a closed geodesic c in an(n+1)-dimensional Riemannian manifold M.We prove that an oriented closed geodesic c is unstable if n + ind(c) is odd and a non-oriented closed geodesic c is unstable if n + ind(c) is even.Our result is a generalization of the famous theorem due to Poincar’e which states that the closed minimizing geodesic on a Riemann surface is unstable.