Related papers: Handle decompositions for a class of closed orient…

Let $(\Gamma,\gamma)$ be a crystallization of connected compact 3-manifold $M$ with $h$ boundary components. Let $\mathcal{G}(M)$ and $\mathit k (M)$ be the regular genus and gem-complexity of $M$ respectively, and let $\mathcal{G}(\partial…

This paper is the second part of our work on 4-dimensional 2-handlebodies. In the first part (arXiv:math.GT/0407032) it is shown that up to certain set of local moves, connected simple coverings of B^4 branched over ribbon surfaces,…

Given a closed, smooth, connected, orientable $4$-manifold $M$, whose integral homology groups can have $2$-torsion, we determine the homotopy decomposition of the double suspension $\Sigma^2M$ as wedge sums of some elementary…

For any compact almost complex manifold $(M,J)$, the last two authors defined two subgroups $H_J^+(M)$, $H_J^-(M)$ of the degree 2 real de Rham cohomology group $H^2(M, \mathbb{R})$ in arXiv:0708.2520. These are the sets of cohomology…

Given a simply connected, closed four manifold, we associate to it a simply connected, closed, spin five manifold. This leads to several consequences : the stable and unstable homotopy groups of such a four manifold is determined by its…

We construct the first example of a 5-dimensional simply connected compact manifold that admits a K-contact structure but does not admit a semi-regular Sasakian structure. For this, we need two ingredients: (a) to construct a suitable…

We prove that all minimal symplectic four-manifolds are essentially irreducible. We also clarify the relationship between holomorphic and symplectic minimality of K\"ahler surfaces. This leads to a new proof of the deformation-invariance of…

The paper considers the uniqueness question of factorization of a knotted handlebody in the $3$-sphere along decomposing $2$-spheres. We obtain a uniqueness result for factorization along decomposing $2$-spheres meeting the handlebody at…

We determine the structure of the circular handle decompositions of the family of free genus one knots. Namely, if k is a free genus one knot, then the handle number h(k)= 0, 1 or 2, and, if k is not fibered (that is, if h(k)>0), then k is…

We consider minimal compact complex surfaces S with Betti numbers b_1=1 and n=b_2>0. A theorem of Donaldson gives n exceptional line bundles. We prove that if in a deformation, these line bundles have sections, S is a degeneration of…

We construct examples of fibered three-manifolds with first Betti number at least 2 and with fibered faces all of whose monodromies extend to a handlebody.

This is the geometric part of two papers on the cohomology of Kaehler groups. Using non-Abelian Hodge theory we show that if a finitely presented group with an unbounded complex linear morphism is the fundamental group of a compact Kaehler…

In [HT], two of us constructed a closed oriented 4-dimensional manifold with fundamental group $\Z$ that does not split off $S^1\times S^3$. In this note we show that this 4-manifold, and various others derived from it, do not admit smooth…

Motivated by M. Scharlemann and A. Thompson's definition of thin position of 3-manifolds, we define the width of a handle decomposition a 4-manifold and introduce the notion of thin position of a compact smooth 4-manifold. We determine all…

We discuss the `hd-compactification' of a semi-simple Lie group to a manifold with corners; it is the real analog of the wonderful compactification of deConcini and Procesi. There is a 1-1 correspondence between the boundary faces of the…

For the oriented 3-dimensional handlebody constructed from a 3-ball by attaching g 1-handles, it is shown that the natural surjection from the group of orientation preserving diffeomorphisms of it to the mapping class group of it has no…

Associated to every complete affine 3-manifold M with nonsolvable fundamental group is a noncompact hyperbolic surface S. We classify such complete affine structures when Sigma is homeomorphic to a three-holed sphere. In particular, for…

We study some symplectic geometric aspects of rationally connected 4-folds. As a corollary, we prove that any smooth projective 4-fold symplectic deformation equivalent to a Fano 4-fold of pseudo-index at least 2 or a rationally connected…

We prove that Ad-semisimple conjugacy classes in a connected Lie group $G$ are closed embedded submanifolds of $G$. We also prove that if $\alpha:H\to G$ is a homomorphism of connected Lie groups such that the kernel of $\alpha$ is discrete…

We study a symplectic surgery operation we call unchaining, which effectively reduces the second Betti number and the symplectic Kodaira dimension at the same time. Using unchaining, we give novel constructions of symplectic Calabi-Yau…