Related papers: Four-manifold geography and superconformal symmetr…

We prove that Witten's Conjecture [arXiv:hep-th/9411102] on the relationship between the Donaldson and Seiberg-Witten series for a four-manifold of Seiberg-Witten simple type with $b_1=0$ and odd $b_2^+\geq 3$ follows from our…

We present theories of N=2 hypermultiplets in four spacetime dimensions that are invariant under rigid or local superconformal symmetries. The target spaces of theories with rigid superconformal invariance are (4n)-dimensional {\it special}…

We present an explicit expression for the topological invariants associated to $SU(2)$ monopoles in the fundamental representation on spin four-manifolds. The computation of these invariants is based on the analysis of their corresponding…

In this paper I define the notion of a non-degenerate finitely semi-simple semi-strict spherical 2-category of non-zero dimension. Given such a 2-category I define a state-sum for any triangulated compact closed oriented 4-manifold and show…

We construct a mathematical framework for twisted N=2 supersymmetric topological quantum field theory on a 4-manifold. Supersymmetry in flat space is defined and the twist homomorphism is constructed, giving us a supermanifold that is the…

The adjunction inequality is a key tool for bounding the genus of smoothly embedded surfaces in 4-manifolds. Using gauge-theoretic invariants, many versions of this inequality have been established for both closed surfaces and surfaces 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…

The first part of this paper exposits a simple geometric description of the Kirby-Siebenmann invariant of a 4--manifold in terms of a quadratic refinement of its intersection form. This is the first in a sequence of higher-order…

We show the existence of strictly almost-Kahler anti-self-dual metrics on certain 4-manifolds by deforming scalar-flat Kahler metrics. On the other hand, we prove the non-existence of such metrics on certain other 4-manifolds by means of…

The Kuperberg invariant is a topological invariant of closed 3-manifolds based on finite-dimensional Hopf algebras. In this paper, we initiate the program of constructing 4-manifold invariants in the spirit of Kuperberg's 3-manifold…

We extend the vanishing theorem for the Seiberg-Witten invariants of a manifold with positive scalar curvature to the case when the curvature is allowed to be negative on a set of small volume. (The precise curvature bounds are described in…

It was proved by Graham and Witten in 1999 that conformal invariants of submanifolds can be obtained via volume renormalization of minimal surfaces in conformally compact Einstein manifolds. The conformal invariant of a submanifold $\Sigma$…

This paper belongs to the realm of conformal geometry and deals with Euclidean submanifolds that admit smooth variations that are infinitesimally conformal. Conformal variations of Euclidean submanifolds is a classical subject in…

I review some recent results on four-manifold invariants which have been obtained in the context of topological quantum field theory. I focus on three different aspects: (a) the computation of correlation functions, which give explicit…

We extend a result of M. Katz on conformal systoles to all four-manifolds with b^+=1 which have odd intersection form. The same result holds for all four-manifolds with b^+=1 with even intersection form and which are symplectic or satisfy…

We introduce an invariant of tuples of commutative diffeomorphisms on a 4-manifold using families of Seiberg-Witten equations. This is a generalization of Ruberman's invariant of diffeomorphisms defined using 1-parameter families of…

We show that the homotopy type of a finite oriented Poincar\'{e} 4-complex is determined by its quadratic 2-type provided its fundamental group is finite and has a dihedral Sylow 2-subgroup. By combining with results of Hambleton-Kreck and…

Any smooth, closed oriented 4-manifold has a surface diagram of arbitrarily high genus g>2 that specifies it up to diffeomorphism. The goal of this paper is to prove the following statement: For any smooth, closed oriented 4-manifold M,…

A topological quantum field theory is introduced which reproduces the Seiberg-Witten invariants of four-manifolds. Dimensional reduction of this topological field theory leads to a new one in three dimensions. Its partition function yields…

We take supersymmetry in the Seiberg-Witten theory as a case study of the uses of (super)symmetry arguments in studying the ontology of four-dimensional interacting quantum field theories. Together with a double expansion, supersymmetry is…