Related papers: Einstein Metrics, Four-Manifolds, and Differential…

This survey deals with two closely connected topics: first, the stability of Einstein metrics under the Einstein-Hilbert functional, and second, their deformation theory and the study of the moduli space of Einstein metrics on a compact…

We study Einstein metrics on complex projective spaces that are invariant under cohomogeneity one actions of compact connected Lie groups, under the assumption that the singular orbits are totally geodesic. These actions were classified by…

We prove that every Einstein metric on the unit ball B^4 of C^2, asymptotic to the Bergman metric, is equal to it up to a diffeomorphism. We need a solution of Seiberg--Witten equations in this infinite volume setting. Therefore, and more…

We find obstructions to the existence of Einstein metrics of non-negative sectional curvature on a smooth closed simply connected manifold of any dimension. The results are achieved by combining the classical Morse theory of the loop space…

A generalized flag manifold is a homogeneous space of the form $G/K$, where $K$ is the centralizer of a torus in a compact connected semisimple Lie group $G$. We classify all flag manifolds with four isotropy summands and we study their…

The purpose of the present expository paper is to give an account of the recent progress and present status of the classification of solvable Lie groups admitting an Einstein left invariant Riemannian metric, the only known examples so far…

We prove a surgery formula for the ordinary Seiberg-Witten invariants of smooth $4$-manifolds with $b_1 =1$. Our formula expresses the Seiberg-Witten invariants of the manifold after the surgery, in terms of the original Seiberg-Witten…

A proof via the Seiberg-Witten moduli space of Donaldson's theorem on smooth 4-manifolds with definite intersection forms.

We construct polynomial conformal invariants, the vanishing of which is necessary and sufficient for an $n$-dimensional suitably generic (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold to be conformal to an Einstein manifold. We also construct invariants…

It is known that the moduli space of Einstein structures in four dimensions is generally considered to be rigid so that Einstein metrics tend to be isolated modulo diffeomorphisms under infinitesimal Einstein deformations. We examine the…

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…

The goal of this paper is to give a new proof of a theorem of Meng and Taubes that identifies the Seiberg-Witten invariants of 3-manifolds with Milnor torsion. The point of view here will be that of topological quantum field theory. In…

We introduce a gauge-theoretic integer lift of the Rohlin invariant of a smooth 4-manifold X with the homology of $S^1 \times S^3$. The invariant has two terms; one is a count of solutions to the Seiberg-Witten equations on X, and the other…

We prove that, under a simple condition on the cohomology ring, every closed 4-manifold has mod 2 Seiberg-Witten simple type. This result shows that there exists a large class of topological 4-manifolds such that all smooth structures have…

Techniques of gauge theory are used to define and compute an invariant of certain diffeomorphisms of 4-manifolds. The invariant vanishes for any diffeomorphism which is smoothly isotopic to the identity. As an application, we give the first…

This paper is concerned with the construction of special metrics on non-compact 4-manifolds which arise as resolutions of complex orbifold singularities. Our study is close in spirit to the construction of the hyperkaehler gravitational…

Let $G/H$ be a compact homogeneous space, and let $\hat{g}_0$ and $\hat{g}_1$ be $G$-invariant Riemannian metrics on $G/H$. We consider the problem of finding a $G$-invariant Einstein metric $g$ on the manifold $G/H\times [0,1]$ subject to…

We consider invariant Einstein metrics on the quaternionic Stiefel manifolds $V_p\mathbb{H} ^n$ of all orthonormal $p$-frames in $\mathbb{H}^n$. This manifold is diffeomorphic to the homogeneous space $\mathrm{Sp}(n) / \mathrm{Sp}(n-p)$ and…

This is a version of the author's diploma thesis written at the University of Cologne in 2002/03. The topic is the construction of Seiberg-Witten invariants of closed 3-manifolds. In analogy to the four dimensional case, the structure of…

We study invariant Einstein metrics on the Stiefel manifold $V_k\mathbb{R}^n\cong \mathrm{SO}(n)/\mathrm{SO}(n-k)$ of all orthonormal $k$-frames in $\mathbb{R}^n$. The isotropy representation of this homogeneous space contains equivalent…