English

Spin-structures on real Bott manifolds

Geometric Topology 2017-03-27 v5

Abstract

Let MnRP1Mn1RP1RP1M1RP1M0={}M_{n}\stackrel{\mathbb R P^1}\to M_{n-1}\stackrel{\mathbb R P^1}\to\ldots\stackrel{\mathbb R P^1}\to M_{1}\stackrel{\mathbb R P^1}\to M_0 = \{ \bullet\} be a sequence of real projective bundles such that MiMi1M_i\to M_{i-1}, i=1,2,,ni=1,2,\ldots,n, is a projective bundle of a Whitney sum of a real line bundle Li1L_{i-1} and the trivial line bundle over Mi1M_{i-1}. The above sequence is called the real Bott tower and the top manifold MnM_n is called the real Bott manifold. There are a few ways to decide whether there exists a Spin-structure on an oriented flat manifold MnM^n. An oriented flat manifold MnM^n has a Spin-structure if and only if there exists a homomorphism ϵ ⁣:ΓSpin(n)\epsilon\colon\Gamma\to\operatorname{Spin}(n) such that λnϵ=p\lambda_n\epsilon=p, where λn:Spin(n)SO(n)\lambda_n:\operatorname{Spin}(n)\to\operatorname{SO}(n) is the covering map. There is an equivalent condition for existence of Spin-structure. This is well known that the closed oriented differential manifold MM has a Spin-structure if and only if the second Stiefel-Whitney class vanishes. Our paper is a sequel of A. G\k{a}sior, A. Szczepa\'nski, Flat manifolds with holonomy group Z2kZ_2^k of diagonal type, Osaka J. Math. 51 (2014), 1015 - 1025. There are given non-complete conditions of the existence of Spin-structures on real Bott manifolds. In this paper, if k is even, we formulate necessary and sufficient conditions of the existence of Spin-structure on real Bott manifolds. Here is our main result The real Bott manifold M(A)M(A) has a Spin-structure if and only for all 1i<jn1\leq i<j\leq n manifolds M(Aij)M(A_{ij}) have a Spin-structure, where AijA_{ij} are n×nn\times n-integer matrices with ii-th and jj-th nonzero rows.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1506.06884,
  title  = {Spin-structures on real Bott manifolds},
  author = {A. Gąsior},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1506.06884},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

After referee's remarks

R2 v1 2026-06-22T09:58:22.695Z