Sharp Weitzenb\"{o}ck and PIC2 Estimates from Sectional-Scalar Curvature Pinching

Let $V$ be an $n$-dimensional Euclidean vector space, ,where $n\ge 4$, and $\ell = \lfloor\frac{n}{2}\rfloor$. We prove the sharp pointwise estimate
\[
q_2(E) \ge -\frac{2(\ell -1)}{3\ell} \mathrm{Scal}(E) \mathrm{Id}_{\Lambda^2V^*}
\]
for every algebraic curvature tensor $E$ on $V$ with nonnegative sectional curvature. Applying this estimate to the decomposition $\operatorname{Rm}_{g}=K_{\min}I+E$, we obtain the vanishing of $H^2(M; \mathbb{R})$ under a dimension-dependent strict sectional-scalar curvature pinching condition. At the weak endpoint, all harmonic two-forms are parallel. Apart from the flat case, this yields $b_2(M)=0$ in odd dimensions and $b_2(M)\le 1$ in even dimensions. At even-dimensional endpoint, $b_2(M)>0$ forces $(M, g)$ to be isometric, up to scaling, to $\mathbb{CP}^{\ell}$ with its Fubini-Study metric. As a consequence every closed five-dimensional manifold satisfying the strict pinching condition implies is a rational homology sphere. An anisotropic rescaling of the same homogeneous four-frame estimate also gives the sharp pointwise sectional-scalar pinching criterion
\[
K_{\min} \ge \frac{n(n-1)}{n^2-n+12}S_0 \quad \Longrightarrow \mathrm{PIC2}.
\]
The strict pinching places the curvature tensor in the interior of PIC2 and normalized Ricci flow brings it to a positive constant sectional curvature.