On the range of the relative higher index and the higher rho-invariant for positive scalar curvature (Q822695)

Let \(M\) be a closed spin manifold which admits a Riemannian metric of positive scalar curvature and let \(P(M)\) denote the set of concordance classes of such metrics on \(M\). \textit{S. Weinberger} and \textit{G. Yu} [Geom. Topol. 19, No. 5, 2767--2799 (2015; Zbl 1328.19011)] introduced an abelian group structure on \(P(M)\), which only depends on the selection of one metric as designated zero element, and proceeded to give a lower bound on its rank using \(\mathrm{K}\)-theoretic methods. Subsequently \textit{N. Bárcenas Torres} and \textit{R. Zeidler} [Ann. \(K\)-Theory 3, No. 3, 565--579 (2018; Zbl 1395.58013)] used group homology up to degree 2 to obtain a sharper lower bound under the assumption that the fundamental group \(\Gamma:=\pi_1(M)\) satisfies the (rational) strong Novikov conjecture. The paper under review improves the lower bound even more by studying the range of the relative higher index map \(\alpha\colon\mathrm{R}^{\mathrm{spin}}_{n+1}(\mathrm{B}\Gamma)\to\mathrm{KO}_{n+1}(\mathrm{C}_r^*(\Gamma))\), where Stolz' group \(\mathrm{R}^{\mathrm{spin}}_{n+1}(\mathrm{B}\Gamma)\) is isomorphic to \(P(M)\) if \(\dim(M)\geq 5\). The main technical innovation is a new relative bordism group \(\mathrm{R}\Omega^{\mathrm{spin},\Gamma}_{n+1}(E_+,E_-)\) for each pair of proper \(\Gamma\)-spaces \(E_-\subset E_+\), which is a hybrid between Stolz' group \(\mathrm{R}^{\mathrm{spin},\Gamma}_{n+1}(E_-)\) and the equivariant bordism group \(\Omega^{\mathrm{spin},\Gamma}_{n+1}(E_+)\), along with a higher index map \(\mathrm{Ind}_\Gamma\colon \mathrm{R}\Omega^{\mathrm{spin},\Gamma}_{n+1}(\underline{\mathrm{E}}\Gamma,\mathrm{E}\Gamma)\to \mathrm{KO}_{n+1}(\mathrm{C}_r^*(\Gamma))\). This map factors through both \(\alpha\) and the real version of the Baum-Connes assembly map \(\mu\colon\mathrm{KO}^\Gamma_{n+1}(\underline{\mathrm{E}}\Gamma)\to\mathrm{KO}_{n+1}(\mathrm{C}_r^*\Gamma)\), thereby providing a way of comparing the images of the latter two, which yields a lower bound on the rank of the range of \(\alpha\). The lower bound on the rank of \(P(M)\) obtained by this method greatly improves the one by Bárcenas and Zeidler, because it works in more dimensions and takes \textit{all} homology classes in the degrees up to the dimension of \(M\) into account. Furthermore, by exploiting the comparison diagram between the positive scalar curvature sequence of Stolz and the analytic surgery sequence of Higson and Roe (see, for example, [\textit{Z. Xie} and \textit{G. Yu}, Adv. Math. 262, 823--866 (2014; Zbl 1306.58008)]), lower bounds on the ranks of domain and range of the higher rho-invariant \(\rho\colon\mathrm{Pos}^{\mathrm{spin}}_n(\mathrm{B}\Gamma)\to\mathrm{S}^\Gamma_n(\mathrm{E}\Gamma)\) are deduced from the lower bounds for the range of \(\alpha\). This strenghens results of \textit{B. Botvinnik} and \textit{P. B. Gilkey} [Math. Ann. 302, No. 3, 507--517 (1995; Zbl 0835.58034)].