arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Claude LeBrun.
Among all conformal classes of Riemannian metrics on ${\Bbb CP}_2$, that of the Fubini-Study metric is shown to have the largest Yamabe constant. The proof, which involves perturbations of the Seiberg-Witten equations, also yields new results on the total scalar curvature of almost-Kähler 4-manifolds.
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 non-minimal complex algebraic surfaces of general type, and the method of proof stems from Seiberg-Witten theory.
We consider compact complex surfaces with Hermitian metrics which are Einstein but not Kaehler. It is shown that the manifold must be CP2 blown up at 1,2, or 3 points, and the isometry group of the metric must contain a 2-torus. Thus the Page metric on CP2#(-CP2) is almost the only metric of this type.
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 H^2(M)=(H^+) + (H^-). This implies, for example, that any such metric on a minimal ruled surface must be locally symmetric.
Let (M,J) be a minimal compact complex surface of Kaehler type. It is shown that the smooth 4-manifold M admits a Riemannian metric of positive scalar curvature iff (M,J) admits a KAEHLER metric of positive scalar curvature. This extends previous results of Witten and Kronheimer.
Using the new diffeomorphism invariants of Seiberg and Witten, a uniqueness theorem is proved for Einstein metrics on compact quotients of irreducible 4-dimensional symmetric spaces of non-compact type. The proof also yields a Riemannian version of the Miyaoka-Yau inequality.
We prove that the connected sums CP_2 # CP_2 and CP_2 # CP_2 # CP_2 admit self-dual metrics with positive Ricci curvature. Moreover, every self-dual metric of positive scalar curvature on CP_2 # CP_2 is conformal to a metric with positive Ricci curvature.
Let Z be a compact complex (2n+1)-manifold which carries a {\em complex contact structure}, meaning a codimension-1 holomorphic sub-bundle D of TZ which is maximally non-integrable. If Z admits a Kähler-Einstein metric of positive scalar curvature, we show that it is the Salamon twistor space of a quaternion-Kähler manifold (M^{4n}, g). If Z also admits a second complex contact structure, then Z= CP_{2n+1}. As an application, we give several new characterizations of the Riemannian manifold HP_n=Sp(n+1)/( Sp(n)\times Sp(1)).
Let (M,J) be a compact complex 2-manifold which which admits a Kaehler metric for which the integral of the scalar curvature is non-negative. Also suppose that M does not admit a Ricci-flat Kähler metric. Then if M is blown up at sufficiently many points, the resulting complex surface admits Kaehler metrics with scalar curvature identically equal to zero.
Let (M,g) be an oriented Lorentzian 4-manifold, and consider the space S of oriented, unparameterized time-like 2-surfaces in M (string world-sheets) with fixed boundary conditions. Then the infinite-dimensional manifold S carries a natural complex structure and a compatible (positive-definite) Kaehler metric h on S determined by the Lorentz metric g. Similar results are proved for other dimensions and signatures, thus generalizing results of Brylinski regarding knots in 3-manifolds. Generalizing the framework of Lempert, we also investigate the precise sense in which S is an infinite-dimensional complex manifold.
We study the topology and geometry of those compact Riemannian (4n)-manifolds (M,g), n > 1, with positive scalar curvature and holonomy in Sp(n)Sp(1). Up to homothety, we show that there are only finitely many such manifolds of any dimension 4n.
Let M be a compact complex surface which admits a Kaehler metric whose scalar curvature has integral zero; and suppose the fundamental group of M does not contain an Abelian subgroup of finite index. Then if M is blown up at sufficiently many points, the resulting surface M' admits scalar-flat Kaehler metrics.
Using examples of compact complex 3-manifolds which arise as twistor spaces, we show that the class of compact complex manifolds bimeromorphic to Kähler manifolds is not stable under small deformations of complex structure.