Related papers: Curvature Functionals, Optimal Metrics, and the Di…

We prove that there are infinitely many pairs of homeomorphic non-diffeomorphic smooth 4-manifolds, such that in each pair one manifold admits an Einstein metric and the other does not. We also show that there are closed 4-manifolds with…

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 obtain topological obstructions to the existence of a complete Riemannian metric with uniformly positive scalar curvature on certain (non-compact) $4$-manifolds. In particular, such a metric on the interior of a compact contractible…

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 show that each of the topological 4-manifolds $CP^2#k\bar{CP^2}, for $k = 6, 7$ admits a smooth structure which has an Einstein metric of scalar curvature $s > 0$, a smooth structure which has an Einstein metric with $s < 0$ and…

We completely determine, up to homeomorphism, which simply connected compact oriented 4-manifolds admit scalar-flat, anti-self-dual Riemannian metrics. The key new ingredient is a proof that the connected sum of five reverse-oriented…

We derive new, sharp lower bounds for certain curvature functionals on the space of Riemannian metrics of a smooth compact 4-manifold with a non-trivial Seiberg-Witten invariant. These allow one, for example, to exactly compute the infimum…

In this paper, we consider the problem of existence and multiplicity of conformal metrics on a riemannian compact $4-$dimensional manifold $(M^4,g_0)$ with positive scalar curvature. We prove new exitence criterium which provides existence…

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…

This paper considers the existence of conformally compact Einstein metrics on 4-manifolds. A reasonably complete understanding is obtained for the existence of such metrics with prescribed conformal infinity, when the conformal infinity is…

We prove that for every natural number k there are simply connected topological four-manifolds which have at leat k distinct smooth structures supporting Einstein metrics, and also have infinitely many distinct smooth structures not…

We study obstructions to the existence of Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature on closed smooth manifolds arising from torsion classes in the integral homology of their fundamental groups. As an application, we construct new…

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…

Using Seiberg-Witten theory, it is shown that any Kaehler metric of constant negative scalar curvature on a compact 4-manifold M minimizes the L^2-norm of scalar curvature among Riemannian metrics compatible with a fixed decomposition…

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…

Building on previous results, we complete the classification of compact oriented Einstein 4-manifolds with det (W^+) > 0. There are, up to diffeomorphism, exactly 15 manifolds that carry such metrics, and, on each of these manifolds, such…

We present a pair of open smooth $4$-manifolds that are mutually homeomorphic. One of them admits a Riemannian metric that possesses quasi-cylindricity, and positivity of scalar curvature and of dimension of certain $L^2$ harmonic forms. By…

We point out that a 4-dimensional topological manifold with an Alexandrov metric (of curvature bounded below) and with an effective, isometric action of the circle or the 2-torus is locally smooth. This observation implies that the…

Let $(M, g_0)$ be a closed 4-manifold with positive Yamabe invariant and with $L^2$-small Weyl curvature tensor. Let $g_1 \in [g_0]$ be any metric in the conformal class of $g_0$ whose scalar curvature is $L^2$-close to a constant. We prove…

Using recent work of Bettiol, we show that a first-order conformal deformation of Wilking's metric of almost-positive sectional curvature on $S^2\times S^3$ yields a family of metrics with strictly positive average of sectional curvatures…