The eta invariant and metrics of positive scalar curvature (Q1898142)

Let \(M\) be a compact Riemannian manifold without boundary of odd dimension \(m \geq 5\) with non-trivial fundamental group and admitting a spin structure \(s\) and metric \(g\) with positive scalar curvature. By \({\mathcal R}^+ (M)\) denote the space of metrics on \(M\) with positive scalar curvature, and by \({\mathcal M} (M) = {\mathcal R}^+(M)/ \text{Diff} (M)\) the associated moduli space. Every homomorphism \(\sigma : \pi_1(M) \to G\), where \(G\) is a non-trivial finite group defines a map from \(f_\sigma\) from \(M\) into the classifying space \(BG\) of \(G\). The group \(\Omega^{\text{spin}}_m (BG)\) classifies spin manifolds with above structure \(\sigma\). Denote by \(\Omega^{\text{spin}+}_m (BG)\) the set of equivalence classes of 4-tuples \((M, g, s, \sigma)\), where \[ (M_1, g_1, s_1, \sigma_1) \simeq (M_2, g_2, s_2, \sigma_2) \] if there exists a compact Riemannian manifold \(N\) with boundary \(M_1 \dot \sqcup M_2\) so that \(s_i\) and \(\sigma_i\) extend over \(N\) and so that the metrics \(g_i\) extend over \(N\) as a metric of positive scalar curvature which is the product near the boundary. Two metrics \(g_i\) of positive scalar curvature are bordant if \[ (M,g_1, s, \sigma) \simeq (M, g_2, s, \sigma). \] Now let \(\text{Rep} (G)\) be the semiring of finite dimensional unitary representations of \(G\) and \(R_0 (G)\) be the augmentation ideal of virtual unitary representations of virtual dimension 0 in the associated group representation ring \(R(G)\). Denote \(R_0(G) := \{\rho \in R_0 (G) : \text{Tr} (\rho(\lambda)) = \pm \text{Tr} (\rho(\lambda^{-1}))\) \(\forall \lambda \in G\}\) and \[ r_m(G) := \begin{cases} \text{rank}_\mathbb{Z} R^+_0 (G) & \text{if } m \equiv 3(4),\\ \text{rank}_\mathbb{Z} R^-_0(G) & \text{if } m \equiv 1(4).\end{cases} \] Then, the main result of the article is: Let \(G\) be a non-trivial finite group and let \((M, s, \sigma)\) be a connected spin manifold of odd dimension \(m \geq 5\) where \(\sigma : \pi_1(M) \to G\) is an isomorphism. Assume that \(M\) admits at least one metric of positive scalar curvature and \(r_m(G) > 0\). Then \(M\) admits a countable family of metrics \(g_i \in {\mathcal R}^+ (M)\) so that \(g_i\) is not bordant to \(g_j\) for \(i \neq j\). (Theorem 2.).