Related papers: Will we ever classify simply-connected smooth 4-ma…
We study the symplectic semi-characteristic of a closed 4n-dimensional symplectic manifold. First, using the even-degree part of the primitive cohomology, we define the symplectic semi-characteristic. Second, using a vector field with…
We introduce the notion of \emph{biharmonic almost complex structure} on a compact almost Hermitian manifold and we study its regularity and existence in dimension four. First we show that there always exist smooth energy-minimizing…
We study the problem of desingularizing coassociative conical singularities via gluing, allowing for topological and analytic obstructions, and discuss applications. This extends the author's earlier work on the unobstructed case. We…
This paper investigates the geometric structures and properties of 8-dimensional manifolds with Spin(7)-holonomy. We focus on the characterization and implications of 4-planes within these manifolds, which are endowed with an almost…
Following T.-J. Li, W. Zhang [Comparing tamed and compatible symplectic cones and cohomological properties of almost complex manifolds, Comm. Anal. Geom.], we continue to study the link between the cohomology of an almost-complex manifold…
On one side, from the properties of Floer cohomology, invariant associated to a symplectic manifold, we define and study a notion of symplectic hyperbolicity and a symplectic capacity measuring it. On the other side, the usual notions of…
We show that, given $d \geq 4$ and two closed connected oriented PL $4$-manifolds $M$ and $N$ such that $N$ has a handle decomposition with no $1$- and $3$-handles, there exists a $d$-fold simple branched covering $p \colon M \darrow{d} N$…
Using instanton Floer theory, extending methods due to Froyshov, we determine the definite lattices that arise from smooth 4-manifolds bounded by certain homology 3-spheres. For example, we show that for +1 surgery on the (2,5) torus knot,…
We consider symplectic Floer homology in the lowest nontrivial dimension, that is to say, for area-preserving diffeomorphisms of surfaces. Particular attention is paid to the quantum cap product; we show that it distinguishes the trivial…
A near-symplectic structure on a 4-manifold is a closed 2-form that is symplectic away from the 1-dimensional submanifold along which it vanishes and that satisfies a certain transversality condition along this vanishing locus. We…
This thesis studies moduli spaces of singular connections on 3-manifolds and manifolds with cylindrical ends. A Chern-Simons functional is defined for singular connections on 3-manifolds which are singular along a knot. The critical points…
We give an explicit description of the Floer cohomology of a family of Dehn twists about disjoint Lagrangian spheres in a w+ - monotone rational symplectic manifold. As a byproduct of our framework, in a monotone symplectic manifold we are…
We use symplectic cohomology to study the non-uniqueness of symplectic structures on the smooth manifolds underlying affine varieties. Starting with a Lefschetz fibration on such a variety and a finite set of primes, the main new tool is a…
An important class of contact 3--manifolds are those that arise as links of rational surface singularities with reduced fundamental cycle. We explicitly describe symplectic caps (concave fillings) of such contact 3--manifolds. As an…
We study the set of all closed oriented smooth 4-manifolds experimentally, according to a suitable complexity defined using Turaev's shadows. This complexity roughly measures how complicated the 2-skeleton of the 4-manifold is. We…
A key question for $4$-manifolds $M$ admitting symplectic structures is to determine which cohomology classes $\alpha\in H^2(M,\mathbb R)$ admit a symplectic representative. The collection of all such classes, the symplectic cone $\mathcal…
In this article, we give new means of constructing and distinguishing closed exotic four-manifolds. Using Heegaard Floer homology, we define new closed four-manifold invariants that are distinct from the Seiberg--Witten and Bauer--Furuta…
We consider constraints on the topology of closed 3-manifolds that can arise as hypersurfaces of contact type in standard symplectic $R^4$. Using an obstruction derived from Heegaard Floer homology we prove that no Brieskorn homology sphere…
In this paper, Floer homology for Lagrangian submanifolds in an open symplectic manifold given as the complement of a smooth divisor is discussed. The main new feature of this construction is that we do not make any assumption on positivity…
This paper has 3 principal goals: (1) to survey what is know about mapping class and Torelli groups of simply connected compact Kaehler manifolds, (2) supplement these results, and (3) present a list of questions and open problems to…