Topology of non-negatively curved manifolds (Q2249602)

The authors examine the question of distinguishing (topologically) manifolds which admit metrics with non-negative sectional curvature from manifolds which admit metrics with positive sectional curvature. The article examines the question in the context of a manifold \(M\) which is a compact, simply connected, seven-dimensional manifold with \(H^i(M;\mathbb Z)=\mathbb Z\) for \(i=0,2,5,7\) and \(H^4(M,\mathbb Z)=\mathbb Z_r\) for \(r\geq1\) where the square of a generator of \(H^2(M;\mathbb Z)\) generates \(H^4(M;\mathbb Z)\); for example, some such manifolds arise as the total space of \(3\)-sphere bundles over \(\mathbb{CP}^2\). The diffeomorphism types of these manifolds are compared with known examples of positively curved manifolds (in particular Eschenburg spaces). \S1 of the paper introduces the problem, \S2 deals with preliminaries, \S3 discusses the Kreck-Stolz invariants (which are based on the Eells-Kuiper \(\mu\)-invariant), \S4 treats the topology of sphere bundles over \(\mathbb{CP}^2\), \S5 is concerned with the topology of circle bundles, \S6 involves the geometry of sphere bundles and circle bundles, \S7 involves spin \(S^3\) and \(S^1\) bundles over \(\mathbb{CP}^2\), and \S8 discusses various diffeomorphisms obtained by comparing Kreck-Stolz invariants.