A generalized \(\pi_2\)-diffeomorphism finiteness theorem (Q2178632)

A core issue in Riemannian geometry is controlled topology of a Riemannian manifold \(M\) by its geometry, in which bounding the number of possible diffeomorphic types of \(M\) is a driving force. In this direction, the main purpose of the present paper is to prove the following diffeomorphism finiteness result: Theorem A (\(\pi_2\)-diffeomorphism finiteness on universal covers). Given \(n,d>0\), there exists a constant, \(C(n,d)>0\), such that \(\mathcal{\widetilde{M}}(n,d)\), the collection of Riemannian universal covers \(\widetilde{M}\) of compact \(n\)-manifolds \(M\) satisfying \(|\text{sec}_M|\le 1,\,\, \text{diam}(M)\le d,\,\, \pi_2(M) = 0\), contains at most \(C(n,d)\) many diffeomorphic types.