The Backward behavior of the Ricci and Cross Curvature Flows on SL(2,R)

This paper is concerned with properties of maximal solutions of the Ricci and cross curvature flows on locally homogeneous three-manifolds of type SL(2,R). We prove that, generically, a maximal solution originates at a sub-Riemannian geometry of Heisenberg type. This solves a problem left open in earlier work by two of the authors.