Positively curved \(\pi_2\)-finite manifolds (Q2464259)

Let \(M\) be a smooth closed connected manifold of dimension greater than \(8\), and assume that a compact connected Lie group \(G\) acts smoothly on \(M\). Suppose that \(M\) admits a metric of positive sectional curvature such that some subgroup in \(G\) isomorphic to \(\mathbb Z_ 2 \times \mathbb Z_ 2\) acts isometrically and effectively. \textit{A. Dessai} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 133, No. 12, 3657--3661 (2005; Zbl 1079.53054)] proved that if \(M\) admits a spin structure, then both \(\widehat A(M)\) and the index of the Dirac operator twisted by the complexified tangent bundle \(T=TM \otimes \mathbb C\) vanish. In the paper under review, the author does not require that \(M\) should possess a spin structure, hence \(\widehat A(M,T):=\langle\widehat{\mathcal A}(M)\cdot \text{ch}(T),[M]\rangle\), where \(\text{ch}(T)\) is the total Chern class of the bundle \(T\), is not necessarily the index of a Dirac operator. Nevertheless, supposing finiteness of the second homotopy group \(\pi_ 2(M)\), the author makes use of \(\widehat A(M, T)\) by means of the elliptic genus and proves that \(\widehat A(M)=0\) and \(\widehat A(M, T)=0\). Note that if \(M\) has a spin structure, then \(\widehat A(M,T)\) coincides with the index of the twisted Dirac operator mentioned above.