Related papers: Cork twisting exotic Stein 4-manifolds
For any positive integer $n$ we give a ${\mathbb Z}^n$-cork with a ${\mathbb Z}^n$-effective embedding in a 4-manifold being homeomorphic to $E(n)$. This means that a cork gives a subset ${\mathbb Z}^n$ in the differential structures on…
We construct invariants of four-dimensional piecewise-linear manifolds, represented as simplicial complexes, with respect to rebuildings that transform a cluster of three 4-simplices having a common two-dimensional face in a different…
Let $\pi$ be a group satisfying the Farrell-Jones conjecture and assume that $B\pi$ is a 4-dimensional Poincar\'e duality space. We consider topological, closed, connected manifolds with fundamental group $\pi$ whose canonical map to $B\pi$…
The aim of this article is to introduce invariants of oriented, smooth, closed four-manifolds, built using the Floer homology theories defined in two earlier papers (math.SG/0101206 and math.SG/0105202). This four-dimensional theory also…
The stable Andrews-Curtis conjecture in combinatorial group theory is the statement that every balanced presentation of the trivial group can be simplified to the trivial form by elementary moves corresponding to "handle-slides" together…
We construct infinitely many smooth 4-manifolds which are homotopy equivalent to $S^2$ but do not admit a spine, i.e., a piecewise-linear embedding of $S^2$ which realizes the homotopy equivalence. This is the remaining case in the…
A multisection of a 4-manifold is a decomposition into 1-handlebodies intersecting pairwise along 3-dimensional handlebodies or along a central closed surface; this generalizes the Gay-Kirby trisections. We show how to compute the twisted…
The purpose of this article is twofold. First we outline a general construction scheme for producing simply-connected minimal symplectic 4-manifolds with small Euler characteristics. Using this scheme, we illustrate how to obtain…
We define a diffeomorphism invariant of smooth 4-manifolds which we can estimate for many smoothings of R^4 and other smooth 4-manifolds. Using this invariant we can show that uncountably many smoothings of R^4 support no Stein structure.…
We provide sufficient conditions assuring that a suitably decorated 2-polyhedron can be thickened to a compact 4-dimensional Stein domain. We also study a class of flat polyhedra in 4-manifolds and find conditions assuring that they admit…
We introduce a new diffeomorphism invariant of smooth compact oriented 4-manifolds $X$ with a framed oriented 1-link $L$ in the boundary, where $L$ may be the empty set, and call it {\it Khovanov-Lipshitz-Sarkar skein lasagna homotopy type}…
Using instanton homology with coefficients in $Z/2$ we construct a homomorphism $q_2$ from the homology cobordism group in dimension 3 to the integers which is not a rational linear combination of the instanton $h$--invariant and the…
Finite-order invariants of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds (including non-orientable ones) are constructed and studied by methods of the topology of discriminant sets. Obstructions to the integrability of admissible weight systems to…
We construct an infinite family of mutually non-diffeomorphic irreducible smooth structures on the topological 4-manifold $S^2 \times S^2$.
Given a triple $H$ of (possibly non-semisimple) Hopf algebras equipped with pairings satisfying a set of properties, we describe a construction of an associated smooth, scalar invariant $\tau_H(X,\pi)$ of a simply connected, compact,…
We define an invariant of contact 3-manifolds with convex boundary using Kronheimer and Mrowka's sutured instanton Floer homology theory. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first invariant of contact manifolds -- with or without…
We prove that there exist infinitely many contractible compact smooth $4$-manifolds $C$ that admit absolutely exotic diffeomorphisms of infinite order in $\pi_0(\mathrm{Diff}(C))$. By ``absolutely", we mean that isotopies are not required…
The main result of this paper is that any $3$-dimensional manifold with a finite group action is equivariantly, invertibly homology cobordant to a hyperbolic manifold; this result holds with suitable twisted coefficients as well. The…
We find new examples of compact Spin(7)-manifolds using a construction of Joyce. The essential ingredient in Joyce's construction is a Calabi-Yau 4-orbifold with particular singularities admitting an antiholomorphic involution, which fixes…
We give two constructions of surfaces in simply-connected 4-manifolds with non simply-connected complements. One is an iteration of the twisted rim surgery introduced by the first author. We also construct, for any group G satisfying some…