On the moduli spaces of metrics with nonnegative sectional curvature (Q2303730)

Let \((M,g)\) be a \(4k-1\) dimensional Riemannian spin manifold with vanishing rational Pontryagin classes. The Kreck-Stolz \(s\) invariant is defined intrinsically for a positive scalar curvature metric \(g\) on \(M\): \[ s(M,g)=-\eta(D(M,g))-a_k\eta(B(M,g))-\int_Md^{-1}(\hat{A}+a_kL)(p_i(M,g)). \] Here \(D\) is the Dirac operator on the spinor bundle, \(B\) is the signature operator on differential forms and \(\eta\) is the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer spectral asymmetry invariant of a differential operator, \(p_i(M,g)\) are the Pontryagin forms defined in terms of the curvature tensor of \(g\), \(\hat{A}\) and \(L\) are the Hirzebruch polynomials and \(a_k=(2^{2k+1}(2^{2k-1}-1))^{-1}, d^{-1})\) represents a form whose exterior derivative is the indicated form. Kreck and Stolz showed that existence of this form and uniqueness of the integral follow from the vanishing of the rational Pontryagin classes. The Kreck-Stolz \(s\) invariant is used to distinguish connected components of the moduli space of positive scalar curvature metrics \(\mathfrak{M}_{\text{scal}>0}\). The author uses the formula of Kreck and Stolz to calculate the \(s\) invariant for metrics on \(S^n\) bundles with nonnegative sectional curvature. Then the author applies it to show that the moduli spaces of metrics with nonnegative sectional curvature on certain 7-manifolds have infinitely many path components. The author studies in detail the \(S^3\) bundles over \(S^4\) and \(\mathbb{C}P^2\) and the \(S^1\) bundles over \(S^2\) bundles over \(\mathbb{C}P^2\). These include the first non-homogeneous examples of this type and certain positively curved Eschenburg and Aloff-Wallach spaces.