Adiabatic limits of Seifert fibrations, Dedekind sums, and the diffeomorphism type of certain 7-manifolds

Abstract

We extend the adiabatic limit formula for $\eta$-invariants by Bismut–Cheeger and Dai to Seifert fibrations. Our formula contains a new contribution from the singular fibres that takes the form of a generalised Dedekind sum.

As an application, we compute the Eells–Kuiper and t-invariants of certain cohomogeneity one manifolds that were studied by Dearricott, Grove, Verdiani, Wilking, and Ziller. In particular, we determine the diffeomorphism type of a new manifold of positive sectional curvature.