Connected sums with \(\mathbb{H} P^n\) or \(CaP^{2}\) and the Yamabe invariant (Q1636014)

The Yamabe invariant of a smooth closed manifold \(M\) is a topological invariant defined by taking the supremum of the scalar curvatures of the conformal classes of certain Riemannian metrics on \(M\), named Yamabe metrics, introduced in connection with the solution of the famous Yamabe problem; cf. [\textit{J. M. Lee} and \textit{T. H. Parker}, Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 17, 37--91 (1987; Zbl 0633.53062)]. The Yamabe invariant depends only on the smooth structure of the manifold. In the main result of this paper it is proved that under certain conditions the Yamabe invariant of a smooth closed manifold \(M\) of dimension \(4k+k'\), in which a smooth closed manifold \(F\) of dimension \(k'\) is embedded with trivial normal bundle, remains unchanged under formation of connected sum with the total space \(\mathbb{H}P^k \tilde{\times} F\) in a smooth fiber bundle over the quaternionic projective space \(\mathbb{H}P^k\) and fiber \(F\). Likewise for the Cayley plane \(CaP^2\) when \(k=4\). The results are used to produce nice examples of higher-dimensional manifolds with nonpositive Yamabe invariants.