Real algebraic structures
A brief survey of real algebraic structures on topological spaces is given. This article is written for the Gokova Gemetry/Topology Conference proceedings.
math.GT↗
arXiv subjects
Selman Akbulut
Publications and source records attributed to Selman Akbulut.
Exotic Structures on smooth 4-manifolds
A short survey of exotic smooth structutes on 4-manifolds is given with a special emphasis on the corresponding cork structures. Along the way we discuss some of the more recent results in this direction, obtained jointly with R.Matveyev, B.Ozbagci, C.Karakurt and K.Yasui.
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Calibrated Manifolds and Gauge Theory
By a theorem of Mclean, the deformation space of an associative submanifold Y of an integrable G_2 manifold (M,ϕ) can be identified with the kernel of a Dirac operator D:Ω^{0}(ν) -->Ω^{0}(ν) on the normal bundle νof Y. Here, we generalize this to the non-integrable case, and also show that the deformation space becomes smooth after perturbing it by natural parameters, which corresponds to moving Y through `pseudo-associative' submanifolds. Infinitesimally, this corresponds to twisting the Dirac operator D --> D_{A} with connections A of ν. Furthermore, the normal bundles of the associative submanifolds with Spin^c structure have natural complex structures, which helps us to relate their deformations to Seiberg-Witten type equations. If we consider G_2 manifolds with 2-plane fields (M,ϕ, Λ) (they always exist) we can split the tangent space TM as a direct sum of an associative 3-plane bundle and a complex 4-plane bundle. This allows us to define (almost) Λ-associative submanifolds of M, whose deformation equations, when perturbed, reduce to Seiberg-Witten equations, hence we can assign local invariants to these submanifolds. Using this we can assign an invariant to (M,ϕ, Λ). These Seiberg Witten equations on the submanifolds are restrictions of global equations on M. We also discuss similar results for the Cayley submanifolds of a Spin(7) manifold.
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Mirror Duality via G_2 and Spin(7) Manifolds
The main purpose of this paper is to give a mathematical definition of ``mirror symmetry'' for Calabi-Yau and G_2 manifolds. More specifically, we explain how to assign a G_2 manifold (M,ϕ,Λ), with the calibration 3-form ϕand an oriented 2-plane field Λ, a pair of parametrized tangent bundle valued 2 and 3-forms of M. These forms can then be used to define various different complex and symplectic structures on certain 6-dimensional subbundles of T(M). When these bundles are integrated they give mirror CY manifolds. In a similar way, one can define mirror dual G_2 manifolds inside of a Spin(7) manifold (N^8, Ψ). In case N^8 admits an oriented 3-plane field, by iterating this process we obtain Calabi-Yau submanifold pairs in N whose complex and symplectic structures determine each other via the calibration form of the ambient G_2 (or Spin(7)) manifold.
math.DG↗
Deformations in G_2 Manifolds
Here we study the deformations of associative submanifolds inside a G_2 manifold M^7 with a calibration 3-form ϕ. A choice of 2-plane field Λon M (which always exits) splits the tangent bundle of M as a direct sum of a 3-dimensional associate bundle and a complex 4-plane bundle TM= E\oplus V, and this helps us to relate the deformations to Seiberg-Witten type equations. Here all the surveyed results as well as the new ones about G_2 manifolds are proved by using only the cross product operation (equivalently ϕ). We feel that mixing various different local identifications of the rich G_2 geometry (e.g. cross product, representation theory and the algebra of octonions) makes the study of G_2 manifolds looks harder then it is (e.g. the proof of McLean's theorem \cite{m}). We believe the approach here makes things easier and keeps the presentation elementary. This paper is essentially self contained.
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A Fake $CP^2 #4 {\bar CP^2}$
This paper is not ready for public consumption, as the last step (Figure 20) is incorrect.
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Associative submanifolds of a G2 manifold
We study deformations of associative submanifolds $Y^3\subset M^7$ of a $G_2$ manifold $M^7$. We show that the deformation space can be perturbed to be smooth, and it can be made compact and zero dimensional by constraining it with an additional equation. This allows us to associate local invariants to associative submanifolds of $M$. The local equations at each associative $Y$ are restrictions of a global equation on a certain associated Grassmann bundle over $ M$.
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Transcendental submanifolds of RP^n
In this paper we give examples of closed smooth submanifolds of RP^n which are isotopic to nonsingular projective subvarieties of RP^n but they can not be isotopic to the real parts of nonsingular complex projective subvarieties of CP^n.
math.AG↗
An involution acting nontrivially on Heegard-Floer homology
We show that a certain involution on the well known homology sphere (the boundary of the Mazur manifold) induces a nontrivial homomorphism on its Heegard-Floer homology groups (recently defined by Ozsvath and Szabo). We discuss a possible application of this to constructing exotic smooth structures on 4-manifolds.
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Cappell-Shaneson's 4-dimensional s-cobordism
In 1987 S Cappell and J Shaneson constructed an s-cobordism H from the quaternionic 3-manifold Q to itself, and asked whether H or any of its covers are trivial product cobordism? In this paper we study H, and in particular show that its 8-fold cover is the product cobordism from S^3 to itself. We reduce the triviality of H to a question about the 3-twist spun trefoil knot in S^4, and also relate this to a question about a Fintushel-Stern knot surgery.
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Variations on Fintushel-Stern Knot Surgery on 4-manifolds
We discuss some consequences Fintushel-Stern `knot surgery' operation on 4-manifolds coming from its handlebody description. We give some generalizations of this operation and give a counterexample to their conjecture.
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Lefschetz fibrations on compact Stein surfaces
The existence of a positive allowable Lefschetz fibration on a compact Stein surface with boundary was established by Loi and Piergallini by using branched covering techniques. Here we give an alternative simple proof of this fact and construct explicitly the vanishing cycles of the Lefschetz fibration, obtaining a direct identification of the set of compact Stein manifolds with positive allowable Lefschetz fibrations over a 2-disk. In the process we associate to every compact Stein manifold infinitely many nonequivalent such Lefschetz fibrations.
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On the topology of compact Stein surfaces
In this paper we obtain the following results: (1) Any compact Stein surface with boundary embeds naturally into a symplectic Lefschetz fibration over the 2-sphere. (2) There exists a minimal elliptic fibration over the 2-disk, which is not Stein. (3) The circle bundle over a genus n>1 surface with euler number e=-1 admits at least n+1 mutually non-homeomorphic simply-connected Stein fillings. (4) Any surface bundle over the circle, whose fiber is a closed surface of genus n>0 can be embedded into a closed symplectic 4-manifold, splitting the symplectic 4-manifold into two pieces both of which have positive b_2^+. (5) Every closed, oriented connected 3-manifold has a weakly symplectically fillable double cover, branched along a 2-component link.
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Exotic structures and adjunction inequality
We reprove and strengthen some old difficult theorems of 4-manifolds by the aid of recently discovered modern tools, which involve contact structures on 3-manifolds, compact Stein domains, etc.
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A Convex decomposition theorem for four-manifolds
We show that every smooth closed oriented four-manifold admits a decomposition into two co- dimension zero submanifolds with common boundary. Each of these submanifolds carries a structure of a symplectic manifold with pseudo-convex boundary. This imply, in particular, that every smooth closed simply-connected four-manifold is a Stein domain in the the complement of a certain contractible 2-complex.
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A fake cusp and a fishtail
We construct smooth 4-manifolds that are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the "cusp" and the "fishtail", which are certain thickened singular 2-spheres.
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Scharlemann's manifold is standard
In his 1974 thesis, Martin Scharlemann constructed a fake homotopy equivalence from a closed smooth manifold f:Q -> S^3 x S^1 # S^2 x S^2 and asked whether the manifold Q itself is diffeomorphic to S^3 x S^1 # S^2 x S^2. Here we answer this question affirmatively.
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Lectures on Seiberg-Witten Invariants
These are yet another lecture notes on Seiberg-Witten invariants, where no claim of originality is made, they contain a discussion of some related results from the recent literature.
alg-geom↗