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Georges Elencwajg
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Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and $E$ a smooth real vector bundle of even rank over $M$.
If $E$ admits of a complex vector bundle structure $\mathcal E$ ($\mathcal E_\mathbb R=E$) then all odd Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ vanish: $$w_{2i+1}(E)=0$$ Moreover the even Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ are the images under the reduction morphism $\operatorname {red}^{2i}:H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)\to H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ of its Chern classes, namely $$w_{2i}(E)=\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i(\mathcal E))$$ My question
Is there a real vector bundle of even rank $E$ with all odd $w_{2i+1}(E)=0$ that nevertheless cannot be endowed with a complex structure just because some $w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ cannot be lifted to $\mathbb Z$?
Explicitly, the equation $$\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i)=w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$$ has no solution $c_i\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)$ .
[The answer is probably quite easy but not for me classical algebraic geometer very unexperienced with real vector bundles.]

Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and $E$ a smooth real vector bundle of even rank over $M$.
If $E$ admits of a complex vector bundle structure $\mathcal E$ ($\mathcal E_\mathbb R=E$) then all odd Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ vanish: $$w_{2i+1}(E)=0$$ Moreover the even Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ are the images under the reduction morphism $\operatorname {red}^{2i}:H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)\to H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ of its Chern classes, namely $$w_{2i}(E)=\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i(\mathcal E))$$ My question
Is there a real vector bundle of even rank $E$ with all odd $w_{2i+1}(E)=0$ that nevertheless cannot be endowed with a complex structure just because some $w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ cannot be lifted to $\mathbb Z$?
Explicitly, the equation $$\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i)=w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$$ has no solution $c_i\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)$ .
[The answer is probably quite easy but not for me classical algebraic geometer very unexperienced with real vector bundles.]

Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and $E$ a smooth real vector bundle of even rank over $M$.
If $E$ admits of a complex vector bundle structure $\mathcal E$ ($\mathcal E_\mathbb R=E$) then all odd Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ vanish: $$w_{2i+1}(E)=0$$ Moreover the even Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ are the images under the reduction morphism $\operatorname {red}^{2i}:H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)\to H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ of its Chern classes, namely $$w_{2i}(E)=\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i(\mathcal E))$$ My question
Is there a real vector bundle of even rank $E$ with all odd $w_{2i+1}(E)=0$ that nevertheless cannot be endowed with a complex structure just because some $w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ cannot be lifted to $\mathbb Z$?
Explicitly, the equation $$\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i)=w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$$ has no solution $c_i\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)$ .

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Georges Elencwajg
  • 47.5k
  • 14
  • 159
  • 241

Even, non liftable Stiefel-Whitney class

Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and $E$ a smooth real vector bundle of even rank over $M$.
If $E$ admits of a complex vector bundle structure $\mathcal E$ ($\mathcal E_\mathbb R=E$) then all odd Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ vanish: $$w_{2i+1}(E)=0$$ Moreover the even Stiefel-Whitney classes of $E$ are the images under the reduction morphism $\operatorname {red}^{2i}:H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)\to H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ of its Chern classes, namely $$w_{2i}(E)=\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i(\mathcal E))$$ My question
Is there a real vector bundle of even rank $E$ with all odd $w_{2i+1}(E)=0$ that nevertheless cannot be endowed with a complex structure just because some $w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$ cannot be lifted to $\mathbb Z$?
Explicitly, the equation $$\operatorname {red}^{2i}(c_i)=w_{2i}(E)\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb F_2)$$ has no solution $c_i\in H^{2i}(M,\mathbb Z)$ .
[The answer is probably quite easy but not for me classical algebraic geometer very unexperienced with real vector bundles.]