arXiv subjects

Sylvain Cappell

Publications and source records attributed to Sylvain Cappell.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Bott Integrability and Higher Integrability; Higher Cheeger-Simons and Godbillon-Vey Invariants

This paper studies the interaction of $π_1(M)$ for a $C^\infty$ manifold $M$ with Bott's original obstruction to integrability, and with differential geometric invariants such as Godbillon-Vey and Cheeger-Simons invariants of a foliation. We prove that the ring of higher Pontrjagin and higher Chern classes of an integrable subbundle $E$ of the tangent bundle of a manifold vanishes above dimension $2k$ where $k=dim(TM/E)$, and where the higher Pontrjagin and Chern rings are rings generated by $i^*y \cup p_j(TM/E)$ and by $i^*y \cup c_j(TM/E)$ respectively, with $p_j$ the $j$-th Pontrjagin class, $c_j$ the $j$-th Chern class, $i:M \to Bπ$ and $π=π_1(BG)$, where $BG$ is the classifying space of the holonomy groupoid corresponding to $E$ and $y \in H^*(Bπ)$, provided that the fundamental group of $BG$ satisfies the Novikov conjecture. In addition, we show the vanishing of higher Pontrjagin and Chern rings generated by $i^*x \cup p_j(TM/E)$, and by $i^*x \cup c_j(TM/E)$ as before but with $i:M \to BG$, $BG$ as above and $x \in H^*(BG)$ provided $(M,\mathcal{F})$ satisfied the foliated Novikov conjecture, where $\mathcal{F}$ is the foliation whose tangent bundle is $E$. We give examples of this obstruction and of higher Godbillon-Vey and Cheeger-Simons invariants.

math.GT↗

arXiv2022

Surgery On Foliations

In this paper, we set up two surgery theories and two kinds of Whitehead torsion for foliations. First, we construct a bounded surgery theory and bounded Whitehead torsion for foliations, which correspond to the Connes' foliation algebra in the K-theory of operator algebras, in the sense that there is an analogy between surgery theory and index theory, and a Novikov Conjecture for bounded surgery on foliations in analogy with the foliated Novikov conjecture of P.Baum and A.Connes in operator theory. This surgery theory classifies the leaves topologically. Secondly, we construct a bounded geometry surgery for foliations, which is a generalization of blocked surgery, and a bounded geometry Whitehead torsion. The classifications in this surgery theory include the specification of the Riemannian metrics of the leaves up to quasi=isometry. We state Borel conjectures for foliations, which solves a problem posed by S.Weinberger \cite{Wein}, and verify these in some cases of geometrical interest.

math.OA↗

arXiv2022

Fixed Point Sets and the Fundamental Group I: Semi-free Actions on G-CW-Complexes

Smith theory says that the fixed point of a semi-free action of a group $G$ on a contractible space is ${\bb Z}_p$-acyclic for any prime factor $p$ of $G$. Jones proved the converse of Smith theory for the case $G$ is a cyclic group acting on finite CW-complexes. We extend the theory to semi-free group action on finite CW-complexes of given homotopy type, in various settings. In particular, the converse of Smith theory holds if and only if certain $K$-theoretical obstruction vanishes. We also give some examples that show the effects of different types of the $K$-theoretical obstruction.

math.AT↗

arXiv2022

Fixed Point Sets and the Fundamental Group II: Euler Characteristics

For a group $G$ of not prime power order, Oliver showed that the obstruction for a finite CW-complex $F$ to be the fixed point set of a contractible finite $G$-CW-complex is the Euler characteristic $χ(F)$. He also has the similar results for compact Lie group actions. We show that the analogous problem for $F$ to be the fixed point set of a finite $G$-CW-complex of some given homotopy type is still determined by the Euler characteristic. Using trace maps in $K_0$, we also see that there are interesting roles for the fundamental group and the component structure of the fixed point set.

math.AT↗

arXiv2016

A trichotomy theorem for transformation groups of locally symmetric manifolds and topological rigidity

Let $M$ be a locally symmetric irreducible closed manifold of dimension $\ge 3$. A result of Borel [Bo] combined with Mostow rigidity imply that there exists a finite group $G = G(M)$ such that any finite subgroup of $\text{Homeo}^+(M)$ is isomorphic to a subgroup of $G$. Borel [Bo] asked if there exist $M$'s with $G(M)$ trivial and if the number of conjugacy classes of finite subgroups of $\text{Homeo}^+(M)$ is finite. We answer both questions: (1) For every finite group $G$ there exist $M$'s with $G(M) = G$, and (2) the number of maximal subgroups of $\text{Homeo}^+(M)$ can be either one, countably many or continuum and we determine (at least for $\dim M \neq 4$) when each case occurs. Our detailed analysis of (2) also gives a complete characterization of the topological local rigidity and topological strong rigidity (for dim$M\neq 4$) of proper discontinuous actions of uniform lattices in semisimple Lie groups on the associated symmetric spaces.

math.GR↗

arXiv2013

Topological Classification of Multiaxial U(n)-Actions

A U(n)-manifold is multiaxial if the isotropy groups are always conjugate to unitary subgroups. The classification and the concordance of such manifolds have been studied by Davis, Hsiang and Morgan under much more strict conditions. We show that in general, without much extra condition, the homotopy classification of multiaxial manifolds can be split into a direct sum of the classification of pairs of adjacent strata, which can be computed by the classical surgery theory. Moreover, we also compute the homotopy classification for the case of the standard representation sphere. We also present the result for the similar multiaxial Sp(n)-manifolds.

math.GT↗

arXiv2013

Closed Aspherical Manifolds with Center

We show that in all dimensions >7 there are closed aspherical manifolds whose fundamental groups have nontrivial center but do not possess any topological circle actions. This disproves a conjectured converse (proposed by Conner and Raymond) to a classical theorem of Borel.

math.GT↗

arXiv2012

Characteristic classes of Hilbert schemes of points via symmetric products

We obtain a formula for the generating series of (the push-forward under the Hilbert-Chow morphism of) the Hirzebruch homology characteristic classes of the Hilbert schemes of points for a smooth quasi-projective variety of arbitrary pure dimension. This result is based on a geometric construction of a motivic exponentiation generalizing the notion of motivic power structure, as well as on a formula for the generating series of the Hirzebruch homology characteristic classes of symmetric products. We apply the same methods for the calculation of generating series formulae for the Hirzebruch classes of the push-forwards of "virtual motives" of Hilbert schemes of a threefold. As corollaries, we obtain counterparts for the MacPherson (and Aluffi) Chern classes of Hilbert schemes of a smooth quasi-projective variety (resp. for threefolds). For a projective Calabi-Yau threefold, the latter yields a Chern class version of the dimension zero MNOP conjecture.

math.AG↗

arXiv2010

Replacement of fixed sets for compact group actions: The 2ρtheorem

If M and N are equivariantly homotopy equivalent G-manifolds, then the fixed sets M^G and N^G are also homotopy equivalent. The replacement problem asks the converse question: If F is homotopy equivalent to the fixed set M^G, is F = N^G for a G-manifold equivariantly homotopy equivalent to M? We prove that for locally linear actions on topological or PL manifolds by compact Lie groups, the replacement is always possible if the normal bundle of the fixed set is twice of a complex bundle over a 1-skeleton of the fixed set. Moreover, we also study some specific examples, where the answer to the replacement problem ranges from always possible to the rigidity.

math.GT↗

arXiv2009

Functoriality of Isovariant Homotopy Classification

It is a deep fact that the homotopy classification of topological manifolds is convariantly functorial. In other words, a map from a topological manifold M to another N naturally induces a map from the structure set S(M) to S(N). We extend the fact to the isovariant structure set S_G(M, rel M_s) of G-equivariant topological manifolds isovariantly homotopy equivalent to M and restricts to homormorphism on the singular part M_s, consisting of those points fixed by some non-trivial elements of G. We further explain that the structure set S_G(M, rel M_s) is the fibre of the assembly map for the generalized homology theory with the L-spectrum as the coefficient. This relates our result to the Farrell-Jones Conjecture for L-theory.

math.GT↗

arXiv2005

Cohomology of Harmonic Forms on Riemannian Manifolds With Boundary

Theorem. Let M be a compact, connected, oriented smooth Riemannian n-manifold with non-empty boundary. Then the cohomology of the complex (Harm*(M),d) of harmonic forms on M is given by the direct sum H^p(Harm*(M),d) = H^p(M;R) + H^(p-1)(M;R) for p=0,1,...,n. When M is a closed manifold, a form is harmonic if and only if it is both closed and co-closed. In this case, all the maps in the complex (Harm*(M),d) are zero, and so H^p(Harm*(M),d) = Harm^p(M) = H^p(M;R) according to the classical theorem of Hodge. By contrast, when M is connected and has non-empty boundary, it is possible for a p-form to be harmonic without being both closed and co-closed. Some of these, which are exact, although not exterior derivatives of harmonic p-1-forms, represent the "echo" of the ordinary p-1-dimensional cohomology within the p-dimensional harmonic cohomology that appears in the above theorem.

math.DG↗