Space of nonnegatively curved metrics and pseudoisotopies

Abstract

Let V be an open manifold with complete nonnegatively curved metric such that the normal sphere bundle to a soul has no section. We prove that the souls of nearby nonnegatively curved metrics on V are smoothly close. Combining this result with some topological properties of pseudoisotopies we show that for many V the space of complete nonnegatively curved metrics has infinite higher homotopy groups.

arXiv comment29 pages, editorial corrections and a change in the dimension assumptions in Lemma 5.2 and Theorem 9.4