Pinching, Pontrjagin classes, and negatively curved vector bundles (Q5944893)

Let \(\pi\) be an abstract group, \(a\leq b<0\) real numbers and \(\mathcal{M}_{a,b,\pi,n}\) the class of smooth \(n\)-manifolds that have fundamental groups isomorphic to \(\pi\) and that admit complete Riemannian metrics of sectional curvature within \([a,b]\). In this very interesting paper, the author proves several finiteness results for this class. For example, if \(M\) is a closed negatively curved manifold [or, more generally, \(M\) is a closed smooth aspherical manifold such that \(\pi_1(M)\) is not virtually nilpotent, and no finite index subgroup of \(\pi_1(M)\) splits over a virtually nilpotent group] of dimension \(\geq 3\) and \(n> \dim(M)\) is a natural number, then -- up to diffeomorphism -- only finitely many manifolds from the class \(\mathcal{M}_{a,b,\pi_1(M),n}\) are total spaces of vector bundles over \(M\). This completes a result of \textit{M. T. Anderson} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 99, 357-363 (1987; Zbl 0615.53025)]. The proof is based on the fact that the isomorphism type of any vector bundle is determined, up to finitely many possibilities, by the characteristic classes of the bundle, which is proved in the appendix of this paper. Furthermore, applying results of \textit{T. Delzant} and \textit{L. Pontyagailo} [Topology 40, 617-629 (2001; Zbl 0996.20027)], and \textit{M. Coornaert, T. Delzant} and \textit{A. Papadopoulos} [Géométrie et théorie des groupes, Lecture Notes Math. 1441, Springer-Verlag (1990; Zbl 0727.20018)], the author proves that given a word-hyperbolic group \(\pi\), then for any natural number \(n\) there exists an \(\varepsilon=\varepsilon(n,\pi)>0\) such that the tangent bundle of any manifold in the class \(\mathcal{M}_{-1-\varepsilon,-1,\pi,n}\) has zero rational Pontrjagin classes. Another finiteness result says that if \(\pi\) is a finitely presented group that does not split over a virtually nilpotent group, \(m\leq n\) natural numbers such that the Betti numbers \(b_m\) and \(b_{n-m}\) of \(\pi\) are finite, then, for any \(a\leq b<0\), the class \(\mathcal{M}_{a,b,\pi,n}\) breaks into finitely many \((m,n-m)\)-intersection preserving homotopy types. The author's results are afterwards reinterpreted in terms of certain natural pinching invariants [see \textit{M. Gromov}, Geometric group theory. Vol. 2. London Math. Soc. Lect. Notes 182. Cambridge University Press (1993; Zbl 0841.20039); Geom. Funct. Anal. 1, 253-320 (1991; Zbl 0768.53012)]. The exposition in sections 2 and 3 of this paper is intensively referring to previous papers of the author [J. Differ. Geom. 50, 59-88 (1998; Zbl 0968.53026); Geom. Topol. 2, 117-144 (1998; Zbl 0931.57009)].