A 7-manifold with positive curvature (Q549091)

\textit{L. Verdiani} [J. Differ. Geom. 68, No. 1, 31--72 (2004; Zbl 1100.53033)] and \textit{K. Grove}, \textit{B. Wilking} and \textit{W. Ziller} [J. Differ. Geom. 78, No. 1, 33--111 (2008; Zbl 1145.53023)] obtained a list of candidates for cohomogeneity-one compact simply connected manifolds which admit an invariant Riemannian metric of positive curvature. The list consists of previously known cohomogeneity-one manifolds with positive curvature metric and a countably infinite family of 7-manifolds with \(SU(2) \times SU(2)\) action. The author shows that at least one of such cohomogeneity-one 7-manifolds admits an invariant metric of positive curvature. More precisely, he proves the following theorem. There is an \(SU(2) \times SU(2)\)-invariant metric of positive curvature on a 2-connected 7-manifold with \(\pi_2 = \mathbb{Z}_2\). Let \((\pi : M \to B, g)\) be the Konishi bundle with the 3-Sasakian metric \(g\) over a self-dual Einstein 4-orbifold \(B\). The author considers a new metric on \(M\) of the form \[ g_{f,t} = f g^H + t g^V \] where \(g^H, g^V\) are the horizontal and vertical components of the metric \(g\), \(f\) is a positive function on \(B\) and \(t\) is a positive number. Using the Thorpe trick, he reduces the condition of positivity of the sectional curvature of the metric \( g_{f,t}\) on \(M\) to the condition of positivity of the sectional curvature of some curvature operator on the base manifold \(B\). Using the Taylor polynomials and Sturm's theorem, he proves the existence of a metric \(g_{f,t}\) of positive curvature in the case when \(B = B_k\) is the self-dual Einstein orbifold, constructed by Hitchin with \(k =5\). Thus, he establishes the following theorem: There is a positively curved metric on the 3-Sasakian 7-manifold which is the Konishi bundle of the self-dual Einstein orbifold of Hitchin \(B_5\). (The approach does not work for Hitchin orbifolds \(B_k\) for \(k>5\).)