Related papers: Edges, Orbifolds, and Seiberg-Witten Theory
This article presents a new and more elementary proof of the main Seiberg-Witten-based obstruction to the existence of Einstein metrics on smooth compact 4-manifolds. It also introduces a new smooth manifold invariant which conveniently…
We demonstrate an obstruction to finding certain splittings of four-manifolds along sufficiently twisted circle bundles over Riemann surfaces, arising from Seiberg-Witten theory. These obstructions are used to show a non-splitting result…
We study Einstein metrics on smooth compact 4-manifolds with an edge-cone singularity of specified cone angle along an embedded 2-manifold. To do so, we first derive modified versions of the Gauss-Bonnet and signature theorems for arbitrary…
We calculate the Seiberg-Witten invariants of branched covers of prime degree, where the branch locus consists of embedded spheres. Aside from the formula itself, our calculations give rise to some new constraints on configurations of…
A formula is given for the Seiberg-Witten invariants of a 4-manifold that is cut along certain kinds of 3-dimensional tori. The formula involves a Seiberg-Witten invariant for each of the resulting pieces.
Since their introduction in 1994, the Seiberg-Witten invariants have become one of the main tools used in 4-manifold theory. In this thesis, we will use these invariants to identify sufficient conditions for a 3-manifold to fibre over a…
We find a new obstruction for a real Einstein 4-orbifold with an A1-singularity to be a limit of smooth Einstein 4-manifolds. The obstruction is a curvature condition at the singular point. For asymptotically hyperbolic metrics, with…
We construct the Seiberg-Witten theory on 3-manifolds with Euclidean ends (connected sums of $\R^3$ and a compact manifold) with perturbations which approximate $*dx_3$ at infinity, and describe the structure of the moduli spaces. The setup…
Seiberg-Witten theory leads to a delicate interplay between Riemannian geometry and smooth topology in dimension four. In particular, the scalar curvature of any metric must satisfy certain non-trivial estimates if the manifold in question…
We show that solutions of the Seiberg-Witten equations lead to non-trivial lower bounds for the L2-norm of the Weyl curvature of a compact Riemannian 4-manifold. These estimates are then used to derive new obstructions to the existence of…
We construct an invariant of closed ${\rm spin}^c$ 4-manifolds using families of Seiberg-Witten equations. This invariant is formulated as a cohomology class on a certain abstract simplicial complex consisting of embedded surfaces of a…
The existence or non-existence of Einstein metrics on 4-manifolds with non-trivial fundamental group and the relation with the underlying differential structure are analyzed. For most points $(n,m)$ in a large region of the integer lattice,…
Four-dimensional N=2 gauge theories may be obtained from configurations of D-branes in type IIA string theory. Unitary gauge theories with two-index representations, and orthogonal and symplectic gauge theories, are constructed from…
We construct infinitely many examples of finite volume 4-manifolds with $T^3$ ends that do not admit any cusped asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein metrics yet satisfy a strict logarithmic version of the Hitchin-Thorpe inequality due to…
It is shown that there are infinitely many compact orientable smooth 4-manifolds which do not admit Einstein metrics, but nevertheless satisfy the strict Hitchin-Thorpe inequality 2 chi > 3 |tau|. The examples in question arise as…
We obtain the Seiberg-Witten geometry for four-dimensional N=2 gauge theory with gauge group SO(2N_c) (N_c \leq 5) with massive spinor and vector hypermultiplets by considering the gauge symmetry breaking in the N=2 $E_6$ theory with…
We construct examples of four dimensional manifolds with Spin$^c$-structures, whose moduli spaces of solutions to the Seiberg-Witten equations, represent a non-trivial bordism class of positive dimension, i.e. the Spin$^c$-structures are…
We give an infinite family of embeddings of $\mathbb{R} P^2$ to $S^4$ such that they are mutually topologically isotopic however are not smoothly isotopic to each other. Moreover, they are topologically isotopic to the standard $P^2$-knot.…
We show that there exist smooth, simply connected, four-dimensional spin manifolds which do not admit Einstein metrics, but nonetheless satisfy the strict Hitchin-Thorpe inequality. Our construction makes use of the Bauer/Furuta cohomotopy…
We derive a family of matrix models which encode solutions to the Seiberg-Witten theory in 4 and 5 dimensions. Partition functions of these matrix models are equal to the corresponding Nekrasov partition functions, and their spectral curves…