Relative hyperbolization and Pontrjagin classes (Q817898)

The main result of the paper is the following refinement of an earlier theorem of the author that states that any compact polyhedron with non-positive curvature is a retract of a closed PL manifold of non-positive signature: Let \(E\) be a vector bundle over a compact polyhedron \(K\) with non-positive curvature. Then there exists a closed PL manifold \(M\) with non-positive curvature which retracts on \(K\) and such that \(T(M)\) restricted to \(K\) is stably isomorphic to \(E\). The paper offers also an ''aspherical'' counterpart of this theorem (obtained merely by replacing the condition ''with non-positive curvature'' by ''aspherical'' and refining a theorem of M.W. Davis). An interesting corollary of the main theorem is that for any compact polyhedron \(K\) with non-positive curvature and any (non-homogeneous) rational cohomology class \(C\in \oplus H^{4\ast }(K,\mathbb{Q})\) there exists a closed PL manifold \(M\) with non-positive curvature, which retracts on \(K\), and such that a multiple of \(C\) is the Pontrjagin character of \(M\) restricted to \(K\) (this follows directly from the main theorem above, as the Pontrjagin character provides an isomorphism \(KO(K)\otimes \mathbb{Q}\approx \).\(\oplus H^{4\ast }(K,\mathbb{Q})\) ). The principal tool to prove the main theorem is the Gromov relative hyperbolization.