Topological obstructions to nonnegative curvature (Q5947128)

The authors use the soul theorem of \textit{J. Cheeger} and \textit{D. Gromoll} [see Ann. Math. (2) 96, 413-443 (1972; Zbl 0246.53049) and J. Differ. Geom. 6, 119-128 (1971; Zbl 0223.53033)], to find new obstructions to nonnegative curvature and build examples of vector bundles whose total spaces admit no complete metric of nonnegative curvature. Basic obstructions are provided by the following Proposition: Let \(N\) be an open complete nonnegatively curved manifold such that \(Q(TN)\neq 0\) for some polynomial \(Q\) in the rational Pontryagin classes. Then \(Q(TN)\neq 0\) for the universal (and hence any) cover \(\pi:\widetilde N\to N\). Since the proposition is true for finite covers without any curvature assumptions (because finite covers induce injective maps on rational cohomology), the results of the paper are only interesting for manifolds with infinite fundamental groups.