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Bernhard Hanke

Publications and source records attributed to Bernhard Hanke.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2016

Bott Periodicity, Submanifolds, and Vector Bundles

We sketch a geometric proof of the classical theorem of Atiyah, Bott, and Shapiro \cite{ABS} which relates Clifford modules to vector bundles over spheres. Every module of the Clifford algebra $Cl_k$ defines a particular vector bundle over $§^{k+1}$, a generalized Hopf bundle, and the theorem asserts that this correspondence between $Cl_k$-modules and stable vector bundles over $§^{k+1}$ is an isomorphism modulo $Cl_{k+1}$-modules. We prove this theorem directly, based on explicit deformations as in Milnor's book on Morse theory \cite{M}, and without referring to the Bott periodicity theorem as in \cite{ABS}.

math.DG↗
arXiv2016

Bordism of elementary abelian groups via inessential Brown-Peterson homology

We compute the equivariant bordism of free oriented $(\mathbb{Z}/p)^n$-manifolds as a module over $Ω_*^{SO}$, when $p$ is an odd prime. We show, among others, that this module is canonically isomorphic to a direct sum of suspensions of multiple tensor products of $Ω^{SO}_*(B \mathbb{Z}/p)$, and that it is generated by products of standard lens spaces. This considerably improves previous calculations by various authors. Our approach relies on the investigation of the submodule of the Brown-Peterson homology of $B (\mathbb{Z}/p)^n$ generated by elements coming from proper subgroups of $(\mathbb{Z}/p)^n$. We apply our results to the Gromov-Lawson-Rosenberg conjecture for atoral manifolds whose fundamental groups are elementary abelian of odd order.

math.AT↗
arXiv2014

Codimension two index obstructions to positive scalar curvature

We derive a general obstruction to the existence of Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature on closed spin manifolds in terms of hypersurfaces of codimension two. The proof is based on coarse index theory for Dirac operators that are twisted with Hilbert C*-module bundles. Along the way we give a complete and self-contained proof that the minimal closure of a Dirac type operator twisted with a Hilbert C*-module bundle on a complete Riemannian manifold is a regular and self-adjoint operator on the Hilbert C*-module of L2-sections of this bundle. Moreover, we give a new proof of Roe's vanishing theorem for the coarse index of the Dirac operator on a complete Riemannian manifold whose scalar curvature is uniformly positive outside of a compact subset. This proof immediately generalizes to Dirac operators twisted with Hilbert C*-module bundles.

math.KT↗
arXiv2014

The space of metrics of positive scalar curvature

We study the topology of the space of positive scalar curvature metrics on high dimensional spheres and other spin manifolds. Our main result provides elements of infinite order in higher homotopy and homology groups of these spaces, which, in contrast to previous approaches, are of infinite order and survive in the (observer) moduli space of such metrics. Along the way we construct smooth fiber bundles over spheres whose total spaces have non-vanishing A-hat-genera, thus establishing the non-multiplicativity of the A-hat-genus in fibre bundles with simply connected base.

math.GT↗
arXiv2011

Positive scalar curvature, K-area and essentialness

The Lichnerowicz formula yields an index theoretic obstruction to positive scalar curvature metrics on closed spin manifolds. The most general form of this obstruction is due to Rosenberg and takes values in the $K$-theory of the group $C^*$-algebra of the fundamental group of the underlying manifold. We give an overview of recent results clarifying the relation of the Rosenberg index to notions from large scale geometry like enlargeability and essentialness. One central topic is the concept of $K$-homology classes of infinite $K$-area. This notion, which in its original form is due to Gromov, is put in a general context and systematically used as a link between geometrically defined large scale properties and index theoretic considerations. In particular, we prove essentialness and the non-vanishing of the Rosenberg index for manifolds of infinite $K$-area.

math.DG↗
arXiv2009

Large and small group homology

For several instances of metric largeness like enlargeability or having hyperspherical universal covers, we construct non-large vector subspaces in the rational homology of finitely generated groups. The functorial properties of this construction imply that the corresponding largeness properties of closed manifolds depend only on the image of their fundamental classes under the classifying map. This is applied to construct examples of essential manifolds whose universal covers are not hyperspherical, thus answering a question of Gromov (1986), and, more generally, essential manifolds which are not enlargeable.

math.GT↗
arXiv2009

Homotopy groups of the moduli space of metrics of positive scalar curvature

We prove that for many degrees in a stable range the homotopy groups of the moduli space of metrics of positive scalar curvature on S^n and on other manifolds are non-trivial. This is achieved by further developing and then applying a family version of the surgery construction of Gromov-Lawson to an exotic smooth families of spheres due to Hatcher. As described, this works for all manifolds of suitable dimension and for the quotient of the space of metrics of positive scalar curvature by the (free) action of the subgroup of diffeomorphisms which fix a point and its tangent space. We also construct special manifolds where the quotient of the space of metrcis of positive scalar curvature by the full diffeomorphism group has non-trivial higher homotopy groups.

math.GT↗
arXiv2009

The stable free rank of symmetry of products of spheres

A well known conjecture in the theory of transformation groups states that if p is a prime and (Z/p)^r acts freely on a product of k spheres, then r is less than or equal to k. We prove this assertion if p is large compared to the dimension of the product of spheres. The argument builds on tame homotopy theory for non simply connected spaces.

math.AT↗
arXiv2007

Combinatorial Stokes formulas via minimal resolutions

We describe an explicit chain map from the standard resolution to the minimal resolution for the finite cyclic group Z_k of order k. We then demonstrate how such a chain map induces a "Z_k-combinatorial Stokes theorem", which in turn implies "Dold's theorem" that there is no equivariant map from an n-connected to an n-dimensional free Z_k-complex. Thus we build a combinatorial access road to problems in combinatorics and discrete geometry that have previously been treated with methods from equivariant topology. The special case k=2 for this is classical; it involves Tucker's (1949) combinatorial lemma which implies the Borsuk-Ulam theorem, its proof via chain complexes by Lefschetz (1949), the combinatorial Stokes formula of Fan (1967), and Meunier's work (2006).

math.CO↗
arXiv2007

The strong Novikov conjecture for low degree cohomology

We show that for each discrete group G, the rational assembly map K_*(BG) \otimes Q \to K_*(C*_{max} G) \otimes \Q is injective on classes dual to the subring generated by cohomology classes of degree at most 2 (identifying rational K-homology and homology via the Chern character). Our result implies homotopy invariance of higher signatures associated to these cohomology classes. This consequence was first established by Connes-Gromov-Moscovici and Mathai. Our approach is based on the construction of flat twisting bundles out of sequences of almost flat bundles as first described in our previous work. In contrast to the argument of Mathai, our approach is independent of (and indeed gives a new proof of) the result of Hilsum-Skandalis on the homotopy invariance of the index of the signature operator twisted with bundles of small curvature.

math.KT↗
arXiv2007

Enlargeability and index theory: Infinite covers

In a previous paper, we showed nonvaninishing of the universal index elements in the K-theory of the maximal C*-algebras of the fundamental groups of enlargeable spin manifolds. The underlying notion of enlargeability was the one from the first relevant paper of Gromov and Lawson, involving contracting maps defined on finite covers of the given manifolds. In the paper at hand, we weaken this assumption to the one in the second paper of Gromov and Lawson, where infinite covers are allowed. The new idea is the construction of a geometrically given C*-algebra with trace which encodes the information given by these infinite covers; along the way we obtain an easy proof of a relative index theorem relevant in this context.

math.GT↗
arXiv2006

Positive scalar curvature with symmetry

We show an equivariant bordism principle for constructing metrics of positive scalar curvature that are invariant under a given group action. Furthermore, we develop a new codimension-2 surgery technique which removes singular strata from fixed point free $S^1$-manifolds while preserving equivariant positive scalar curvature. These results are applied to derive the following generalization of a result of Gromov and Lawson: Each closed fixed point free $S^1$-manifold of dimension at least 6 whose isotropy groups have odd order and whose union of maximal orbits is simply connected and not spin carries an $S^1$-invariant metric of positive scalar curvature.

math.GT↗
arXiv2005

Geometric versus homotopy theoretic equivariant bordism

By results of Loeffler and Comezana, the Pontrjagin-Thom map from geometric G-equivariant bordism to homotopy theoretic equivariant bordism is injective for compact abelian G. If G = S^1 x ... x S^1, we prove that the associated fixed point square is a pull back square, thus confirming a recent conjecture of D. Sinha. This is used in order to determine the image of the Pontrjagin-Thom map for toral G.

math.AT↗
arXiv2004

Enlargeability and index theory

Let M be a closed enlargeable spin manifold. We show non-triviality of the universal index obstruction in the K-theory of the maximal $C^*$-algebra of the fundamental group of M. Our proof is independent from the injectivity of the Baum-Connes assembly map for the fundamental group of M and relies on the construction of a certain infinite dimensional flat vector bundle out of a sequence of finite dimensional vector bundles on M whose curvatures tend to zero. Besides the well known fact that M does not carry a metric with positive scalar curvature, our results imply that the classifying map $M \to B π_1(M)$ sends the fundamental class of M to a nontrivial homology class in $H_n(B π_1(M) ; \Q)$. This answers a question of Burghelea (1983).

math.GT↗