Given a simply connected manifold M, we completely determine which rational monomial Pontryagin numbers are attained by fiber homotopy trivial M-bundles over the k-sphere, provided that k is small compared to the dimension and the connectivity of M. Furthermore, we study the vector space of rational cobordism classes represented by such bundles. We give upper and lower bounds on its dimension, and we construct manifolds for which the lower bound is attained. Our proofs are based on the classical approach to studying diffeomorphism groups via block bundles and surgery theory, and we make use of ideas developed by Krannich–Kupers–Randal-Williams.

As an application, we show the existence of elements of infinite order in the homotopy groups of the spaces of positive Ricci and positive sectional curvature, provided that M is $\operatorname {Spin}$, has a nontrivial rational Pontryagin class and admits such a metric. This is done by constructing M-bundles over spheres with nonvanishing ${\hat {\mathcal {A}}}$-genus. Furthermore, we give a vanishing theorem for generalized Morita–Miller–Mumford classes for fiber homotopy trivial bundles over spheres.

In the appendix coauthored by Jens Reinhold, we investigate which classes of the rational oriented cobordism ring contain an element that fibers over a sphere of a given dimension.

A crucial ingredient in the theory of theta liftings of Kudla and Millson is the construction of a $q$-form $\varphi_{KM}$ on an orthogonal symmetric space, using Howe's differential operators. This form can be seen as a Thom form of a real oriented vector bundle. We show that the Kudla-Millson form can be recovered from a canonical construction of Mathai and Quillen. A similar result was obtaind by Garcia for signature $(2,q)$ in case the symmetric space is hermitian and we extend it to arbitrary signature.

We prove that the only relation imposed on the Hodge and Chern numbers of a compact Kähler manifold by the existence of a nowhere zero holomorphic one-form is the vanishing of the Hirzebruch genus. We also treat the analogous problem for nowhere zero closed one-forms on smooth manifolds.

We study tautological rings for high-dimensional manifolds, that is, for each smooth manifold $M$ the ring $R^{\ast }(M)$ of those characteristic classes of smooth fibre bundles with fibre $M$ which is generated by generalised Miller–Morita–Mumford classes. We completely describe these rings modulo nilpotent elements, when $M$ is a connected sum of copies of $S^{n}\times S^{n}$ for $n$ odd.

In this paper we give explicit formulas for differential characteristic classes of principal $G$-bundles with connections and prove their expected properties. In particular, we obtain explicit formulas for differential Chern classes, differential Pontryagin classes and the differential Euler class. Furthermore, we show that the differential Chern class is the unique natural transformation from (Simons–Sullivan) differential $K$-theory to (Cheeger–Simons) differential characters that is compatible with curvature and characteristic class. We also give the explicit formula for the differential Chern class on Freed–Lott differential $K$-theory. Finally, we discuss the odd differential Chern classes.

We give a classifying theory for LG-bundles, where LG is the loop group of a compact Lie group G, and present a calculation for the string class of the universal LG-bundle. We show that this class is in fact an equivariant cohomology class and give an equivariant differential form representing it. We then use the caloron correspondence to define (higher) characteristic classes for LG-bundles and to prove a result for characteristic classes for based loop groups for the free loop group. These classes have a natural interpretation in equivariant cohomology and we give equivariant differential form representatives for the universal case in all odd dimensions.

This paper gives non-embeddings and non-immersions for the real flag manifolds RF(1, 1, n–2), n > 3 and shows that Lam's immersions for n = 4 and 5 and Stong's result for n = 6 are the best possible.

Let ξbe an SO(n)-bundle over a simple connected manifold M with a spin structure Q → M. The string class is an obstruction to h1 the structure group LSpin(n) of the loop group bundle LQ → LM to the universal central extension of LSpain(n) by the circle. We prove that the string class vanishes if and only if 1/2 the first Pontrjagin clsss of values when M is a compact simply connected homogeneous space of rank one, a simpiy connected 4 dimensional manifold or a finite product space of those manifolds. This result is deduced by using the Eclesberg spectral sequence converging to the mod p cohomology of LM whose E2-term to the Hochschild homology of the mod p cohomology algebra of M. The key to the consideration is existence of a morphism of algebras, which is injective below degree 3, from an important graded commutator algebra into the Hochschild homology of a certain graded commutative algebra.

The ordinary string class is an obstruction to lift the structure group LSpin(n) of a loop group bundle LQ → LM to the universal central extension of LSpin(n) by the circle. The vanishing problem of the ordinary string class and generalized string classes are considered from the viewpoint of the ring structure of the cohomology H*(M; R).