Nonpositive sectional curvature excludes conjugate points ($(|J{|}^2{)}^{\prime \prime }\ge 0$)

For a Jacobi field along a geodesic with nonpositive sectional curvature, the curvature convention with positive round-sphere curvature givesThus $|J{|}^2$ is nonnegative and convex. If it vanishes at both ends of a segment, convexity forces it to vanish everywhere. No nonzero Jacobi field can vanish at both ends, so the segment has no conjugate points. Only curvature of planes containing the geodesic tangent is needed, and completeness is unnecessary.