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37 votes
0 answers
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What is the three-dimensional hyperbolic volume of a four-manifold?

Every smooth closed orientable 4-manifold may be constructed via a handle decomposition. Before asking a couple of questions, I recall some well-known facts about handle-decompositions of 4-manifolds. ...
Bruno Martelli's user avatar
25 votes
0 answers
1k views

Concordance and homology cobordism

If two knots $K_1$ and $K_2$ in $S^3$ are smoothly concordant, then for any rational number $r$, the $r$-surgeries $S^3_r(K_1)$ and $S^3_r(K_2)$ are homology cobordant. Is the converse true? What if $...
Adam Levine's user avatar
24 votes
0 answers
1k views

Exotic 4-spheres and the Tate-Shafarevich Group

The title is a talk given by Sir M. Atiyah in a conference with the following abstract: I will explain a deep analogy between 4-dimensional smooth geometry (Donaldson theory)...
mathphys's user avatar
  • 1,629
19 votes
0 answers
852 views

Which manifolds decompose into pants?

In this nice paper Mikhalkin uses certain (more geometrical than algebraic) aspects of tropical geometry to prove that every complex projective hypersurface in $\mathbb C \mathbb P ^n$ decomposes as a ...
Bruno Martelli's user avatar
18 votes
0 answers
873 views

Almost complex 4-manifolds with a "holomorphic" vector field

Main question. What is the class of smooth orientable 4-dimensional manifolds that admit an almost complex structure $J$ and a vector field v, that preserves $J$? The following sub question is ...
Dmitri Panov's user avatar
  • 28.9k
14 votes
0 answers
326 views

When can we extend a diffeomorphism from a surface to its neighborhood as identity?

Let $M$ be a closed and simply-connected 4-manifold and let $f: M^4 \to M^4$ be a diffeomorphism such that $f^*: H^*(M;\mathbb{Z})\to H^*(M;\mathbb{Z})$ is the identity map. Moreover, let $\Sigma \...
Anubhav Mukherjee's user avatar
14 votes
0 answers
376 views

Nonsmoothable 4-manifolds

Does there exist a closed connected nonsmoothable 4-manifold $M$ such that: $\kappa(M)=0$ (Kirby-Siebenmann invariant vanishes, hence, there is no "classical" obstruction to smoothability) ...
Moishe Kohan's user avatar
  • 12.3k
14 votes
0 answers
336 views

Are there exotic twisted doubles of 4-manifolds?

Take a smooth 4-manifold $X$ whose boundary has a diffeomorphism $\tau: \partial X \to \partial X$ that extends to a homeomorphism but not a diffeomorphism of $X$. (By Matveyev and Curtis-Freedman-...
Kyle Hayden's user avatar
12 votes
0 answers
419 views

Is the Lipschitz structure on $\mathbb{S}^4$ unique?

Sullivan [S] proved that on any $n$-dimensional, $n\neq 4$, topological manifold there is a unique Lipschitz structure. Although it is generally accepted result, it seems that the proof lacks some ...
Piotr Hajlasz's user avatar
12 votes
0 answers
251 views

Excluding exotic PL structures on S^4

Suppose you have a finite group $G<SO(5)$ such that $S^4/G$ is homeomorphic to $S^4$ and such that $S^4/G$ is a PL manifold with respect to a PL structure induced by a standard structure on $S^4$. ...
Christian Lange's user avatar
11 votes
0 answers
335 views

Isotopy on embedded 3-manifolds in 4-manifolds

Suppose that $X$ be an oriented, closed four-manifold. Suppose that $Y$ is an oriented, closed three-manifold smoothly embedded in $X$. Suppose also that $f:X \to X$ is a diffeomorphism that fixes $Y$...
Anubhav Mukherjee's user avatar
11 votes
0 answers
360 views

Fox re-imbedding theorem in dimension four

Fox re-imbedding theorem states the following: A compact 3-manifold $M$ with boundary that embeds in the three-sphere $S^3$, can be re-imbedded in $S^3$ so that its complement is a union of ...
Bruno Martelli's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
207 views

Find a 4-manifold bounding a 3-torus with any abelian representation in SL_2

Fix $x,y,z\in \mathbb{C}^*$ and let $M=S^1\times S^1\times S^1$ with $\rho:\pi_1(M)\to \operatorname{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})$ mapping the three generators to diagonal matrices with entries $(x,x^{-1})$, $(y,...
Julien Marché's user avatar
9 votes
0 answers
176 views

Configuration space of 4 points as an orbifold

Setup: Consider the braid group $B_n$. One way to define this is as the fundamental group of the unordered configuration space $UC_n(\mathbb{C}) = \{\{z_1,\dotsc,z_n\}\subset \mathbb{C} \mid z_i \not= ...
Ethan Dlugie's user avatar
  • 1,277
8 votes
0 answers
298 views

A conjecture about homotopy $S^1\times B^3$'s

$\textbf{Conjecture}:$ Let $X^4$ be a homotopy $S^1\times B^3$ with the following properties: Attaching a four dimensional 2-handle gives a standard $B^4$. The $k$-fold cyclic cover is diffeomorphic ...
Daniel H. Hartman's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
445 views

Integer surgeries along links yielding lens spaces

Does there exist an integer $N$ such that any lens space $L(p,q)$ can be obtained by integer surgery from $S^3$ along a link $L$ with at most $N$ components? EDIT: I have worked out the comment by ...
Marc Kegel's user avatar
  • 1,314
8 votes
0 answers
489 views

Self diffeomorphism of $S^2\times S^2$

The main question is motivated from the answer of this question https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2481200/finite-groups-gs-which-acts-freely-on-s2-times-s2 Is it true that every self ...
Anubhav Mukherjee's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
347 views

On exotic symplectic structures of smooth closed 4-manifolds

What are some known techniques and examples of exotic symplectic structures on a fixed smooth closed 4-manifolds [by exotic I mean two symplectic structures that are not symplectomorphic]. This sounds ...
Anubhav Mukherjee's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
1k views

Applications of E8 manifold

The $E_8$ Cartan matrix is given by, $$ K_{E_8}=\begin{pmatrix} 2 & -1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ -1 & 2 & -1& 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ ...
wonderich's user avatar
  • 10.5k
7 votes
0 answers
504 views

Intersection form of logarithmic transformations

Now I want to calculate the intersection form of a logarithmic transformation which is defined as follows. Let $X$ be an oriented, closed, simply-connected 4-manifold and $T^2\subset X$ be an ...
Hopf Fibration's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
181 views

Kirby diagram of Enriques surface (as the "(1/2) K3 surface")

Not to be confused with $E(1)\cong\mathbb{C}P^2\#9\overline{\mathbb{C}P^2}$, which is also known as a $\frac{1}{2}K3$ surface (in the sense that removing a neighbourhood of a regular torus fiber in $E(...
rab's user avatar
  • 159
6 votes
0 answers
270 views

11/8-type inequality from Heegaard Floer theory?

Background: a well-known conjecture in $4$-dimensional topology states that if $M$ is a $4$-dimensional oriented closed spin smooth manifold, then the second Betti number of $M$ is bounded from below ...
Shaoyun Bai's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
391 views

Questions about a paper by Laudenbach and Poénaru

I am working on the 1972 paper A Note on 4-Dimensional Handlebodies by F. Laudenbach and V. Poénaru, and I had two questions. I will use their notations to simplify things, since the paper is very ...
Anthony's user avatar
  • 283
6 votes
0 answers
188 views

Quotients of 4-sphere by smooth $Z_p$ actions with knotted fixed point sets

This question is closely related to another I asked today. Giffen showed in 1966 that the generalized Smith conjecture is false by constructing for odd $p$ a smooth $Z_p$ action on $S^4$ with fixed-...
benblumsmith's user avatar
  • 2,851
6 votes
0 answers
217 views

What is the state of the art in 4-manfold 2-types?

In an old answer to an old question of mine, Peter Teichner commented that it is an open problem to determine which homotopy 2-types arise from 4-manifolds. In some instances we know that a 4-manifold ...
David Roberts's user avatar
  • 35.5k
6 votes
0 answers
199 views

Surgering locally flat tori in 4-manifolds

Is there a locally flat torus in some not smoothable topological 4-manifold such that surgering on it produces a smoothable 4-manifold? Surgering means removing a tubular neighborhood and reattaching ...
Daniele Zuddas's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
146 views

Can every homeomorphism of the 4-ball fixing the boundary be approximated by diffeomorphisms smoothly isotopic to the identity?

Let $B^{n}$ denote the euclidean closed ball of dimension $n$. Alexander's trick shows that every homeomorphism of $B^{n}$ fixing $\partial B^n$ is $C^{0}$-isotopic to the identity via a boundary ...
asymmetriad's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
111 views

Standard 2-instantons on the 4-sphere under conformal transformation

It is well-known that there is a standard SU(2) 1-instanton on the 4-sphere and any 1-instanton can be obtained from the standard one by conformal transformation. Is there any explicit (family of) &...
Faniel's user avatar
  • 673
5 votes
0 answers
610 views

Closed 4-manifolds with uncountably many differentiable structures

I know that $\mathbb{R}^4$ admits uncountably many differentiable structures. So, I wonder what happens if we consider closed 4-manifolds. Are there any closed 4-manifolds with uncountably many ...
Dario's user avatar
  • 683
4 votes
0 answers
116 views

Candidates of nonsmoothable homology 4-spheres

I'm not trying to duplicate a question Are there non-smoothable homotopy/homology spheres? But in Igor Belegradek's answer, he pointed out that "Some of them (homology spheres) have large ...
Shijie Gu's user avatar
  • 2,083
4 votes
0 answers
229 views

An Akbulut cork with a simple equation?

Is there an Akbulut cork that is diffeomorphic to a complex affine surface that can be given by a simple equation? (for example a surface given by zeros of a low-degree polynomial in $\mathbb C^3$) ...
aglearner's user avatar
  • 14.3k
4 votes
0 answers
128 views

Involutions on $D^4$ with a fixed arc

By a theorem of Livesay, the 3-sphere has a unique (up to equivariant diffeomorphism) smooth involution with exactly two fixed points. Thinking of $S^3$ as the unit sphere in $\mathbb{R}^4$, this ...
Strongly Negative Amphicheiral's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
348 views

Smoothability of open 4-manifolds

F. Quinn proved that any open topological 4-manifold admits a smooth structure in Ends of maps III: dimensions 4 and 5. He first proves the generalized annulus conjecture: Suppose $h:D^j\times \...
cork_twist's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
273 views

Are triangulations with common refinements PL-homeomorphic?

Do there exist simplicial triangulations $K_1$ and $K_2$ of a topological manifold $M$ such that $K_1$ and $K_2$ have a common subdivision but they are not PL-homeomorphic? Ideally, I would like an ...
user136604's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
119 views

Signature vs commensurability

If a closed oriented $4n$-dimensional manifold $M$ has an orientation-reversing homeomorphism, then the signature $\sigma(M)$ of the intersection form vanishes. More generally, $\sigma(M) = 0$ if $M$ ...
asd's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
0 answers
636 views

What are some of the big open problems in $4$-manifold theory?

I've recently been studying some Manifold Theory and got very interested in their topological as well as geometric properties. From my understanding of the current literature, most the big and ...
math-physicist's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
153 views

A circle action on the E8 manifold

In the paper "A survey of group actions on 4-manifolds" by Allan L. Edmonds on page 5 there is the remark "One should note that the coned-off E8-plumbing manifold admits a circle action ...
Nick L's user avatar
  • 6,995
3 votes
0 answers
405 views

A user guide to the theory on Corks

I am trying to digest the meanings of the corks from the both: algebraic topology and geometry topology perspectives. Studying corks is important for understanding the exotic phenomenon of 4-...
wonderich's user avatar
  • 10.5k
3 votes
0 answers
91 views

Handlesliding a two component, linking number 1 link

Let $L = K_1 \cup K_2 \subset S^3$ be a two component framed link with $lk(K_1,K_2) = 1$. Let $\hat{L}$ denote the set of all links obtained by handlesliding $L$ around an an arbitrary number of ...
user101010's user avatar
  • 5,349
3 votes
0 answers
104 views

A link of four 2-tori $T^2$ in $S^2 \times S^2$

Step 1: We glue two sets of complement space of $D^2\times T^2$ out of the 4-sphere $S^4$, through their $T^3$ boundary with their three $S^1$ boundaries of $T^3$ cyclic permuted to obtain a new 4-...
wonderich's user avatar
  • 10.5k
3 votes
0 answers
181 views

Definition of the dual spider number and the formula for the first chern class of the triangle

In the process of trying to understand various maps in Heegaard Floer homology I got stuck on the definition of the dual spider number, which, it seems to me, has a combinatorial definition directly ...
shestipalov's user avatar
  • 1,000
2 votes
0 answers
197 views

$4$-manifolds with boundary homotopic to $K(G,1)$

I am not very conversant with the $3$-manifold or $4$-manifold theory. The literature I found so far related to $3$-manifold tells me that $S^1\times S^2$ is "very special". It is prime but ...
piper1967's user avatar
  • 1,177
2 votes
0 answers
95 views

If a Compact $n$-Manifold Immerses in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ is there a Locally Flat Immersion?

Suppose that $M$ is a compact, topological $n$-manifold and there is a topological immersion (i.e. local embedding) of $M$ into $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$. Is there necessarily a locally flat immersion of $M$...
John Samples's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
118 views

Kahler surface with certain topology

Let $P^2 \mathrel{\tilde \times} \mathbb{R}^2$ be the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-quotient of $S^2 \times \mathbb{R}^2$, where the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ action on $S^2 \times \mathbb{R}^2$ is antipodal on $S^2$ and a ...
Zhiqiang's user avatar
  • 891
2 votes
0 answers
201 views

The Kirby diagram of a manifold glued along the lens space $L(p,1)$

Suppose $K$ is a knot in $S^3$ with any framing and $m=m_0$ is its meridian with $-1$ framing. Suppose $m_1,\dots,m_{p-1}$ are unknots with framings $-2$, such that $m_{i-1}$ and $m_i$ are linked as a ...
Faniel's user avatar
  • 673
2 votes
0 answers
201 views

On the smoothness of plumbed $4$-manifolds and $E_8$ manifold

The $E_8$ manifold can be constructed by plumbing together disk bundles of Euler number $2$ over $2$-sphere $S^2$ according to the Dynkin diagram for $E_8$. In Smooth 4-manifolds with $E_8$ ...
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
107 views

Extend a circle action on $3$-manifolds

Let $M$ be an oriented closed $3$-manifold equipped with an effective smooth circle action. Can we have a classification of all such $M$ such that there exists a $4$-manifold $N$ with $\partial N=M$, ...
Zhiqiang's user avatar
  • 891
1 vote
0 answers
191 views

Local to global complexity of triangulations

Alright 3rd time's the charm - editing again to put all my cards on the table. Consider a PL $n$-manifold $M$. Define the complexity $c(M)$ of $M$ to be the minimum number of $n$-simplices needed to ...
rab's user avatar
  • 159
1 vote
0 answers
160 views

Contractible four-manifold which admits a decomposition

Let $M^4$ be a noncompact, contractible, smooth manifold. Suppose there exists an exhaustion $M=\bigcup_{i\ge 1} U_i$ by open sets such that (1) $\bar U_i \subset U_{i+1}$ and (2) each $U_i$ is ...
Zhiqiang's user avatar
  • 891
1 vote
0 answers
82 views

Do different decompositions of Dehn twists induce the same cobordisms between mapping tori?

Suppose $Y=T^2\times I/f$ is a mapping torus, where $f$ is a diffeomorphism of $T^2$. Suppose $c$ is a curve on $T^2\times \{1\}$ with surface framing and suppose $D_c$ is the positive Dehn twist ...
Faniel's user avatar
  • 673