In this talk, we show that if $g(t)$ is a solution to the Ricci flow satisfying a certain non-uniform curvature bound and $g(0)$ splits as a product, then the solution splits as a product for all time. The problem is framed as one of uniqueness for a related system to which we apply a maximum principle, in which the persistence of the product structure is encoded in time-dependent projections. We will also discuss the application of this method to other problems.

Zoom link: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/94706402472