arXiv research

Positivity of intersections in 4-manifolds leads to taming symplectic structures.

New findings on stable minimal hypersurfaces in curved 4-manifolds.

The paper proves simplicial volume positivity for certain nonpositively curved 4-manifolds with nonzero Euler characteristic.

We prove that if a compact Riemannian 4-manifold with positive sectional curvature satisfies a Kato type inequality, then it is definite. We also discuss some new insights for compact Riemannian 4-manifolds of positive sectional curvature.

New method proves rigidity of minimal hypersurfaces in curved 4-manifolds.

Study of curves in rational surfaces using multisections and torus actions.

It is well-known by the work of Hsiang and Kleiner that every closed oriented positively curved 4-dimensional manifold with an effective isometric S^1-action is homeomorphic to S^4 or CP^2. As stated, it is a topological classification. The primary goal of this paper is to show that it is indeed a diffeomorphism classi…

We show the intersection of a compact almost complex subvariety of dimension $4$ and a compact almost complex submanifold of codimension $2$ is a $J$-holomorphic curve. This is a generalization of positivity of intersections for $J$-holomorphic curves in almost complex $4$-manifolds to higher dimensions. As an applicat…

This is a slightly altered version of the authors thesis from 2014. In the first main part we show that the quotient space of a compact, simply connected and nonnegatively curved Riemannian 4-manifold by an effective, isometric circle-action admits an approximation in Gromov-Hausdorff topology by smooth, positively cur…

New method to encode Weinstein 4-manifolds using multisections with divides.

In this article, we study the maximal length of positive Dehn twist factorizations of surface mapping classes. In connection to fundamental questions regarding the uniform topology of symplectic 4-manifolds and Stein fillings of contact 3-manifolds coming from the topology of supporting Lefschetz pencils and open books…

Study relates trisected 4-manifolds to cork twists via γ-curves.

Let T be a torus of dimension at least k and M a T-manifold. M is a GKM_k-manifold if the action is equivariantly formal, has only isolated fixed points, and any k weights of the isotropy representation in the fixed points are linearly independent. In this paper we compute the cohomology rings with real and integer coe…

We prove that every smoothly embedded surface in a 4--manifold can be isotoped to be in bridge position with respect to a given trisection of the ambient 4--manifold; that is, after isotopy, the surface meets components of the trisection in trivial disks or arcs. Such a decomposition, which we call a \emph{generalized …

4-manifolds with non-positive curvature are essentially Euclidean.

Small Weyl infimum on 4-manifolds with positive scalar curvature.

Let M be an oriented compact positively curved 4-manifold. Let G be a finite subgroup of the isometry group of $M$. Among others, we prove that there is a universal constant C (cf. Corollary 4.3 for the approximate value of C), such that if the order of G is odd and at least C, then G is either abelian of rank at most …

New method to decompose 4-manifolds with positive scalar curvature.

The paper characterizes Einstein 4-manifolds with semi-definite curvature and derives inequalities.

We prove that if a closed, smooth, simply-connected 4-manifold with a circle action admits an almost non-negatively curved sequence of invariant Riemannian metrics, then it also admits a non-negatively curved Riemannian metric invariant with respect to the same action. The same is shown for torus actions of higher rank…

Study on 4-manifolds with positive scalar curvature.

The paper constructs exotic knotted surfaces and curves in 4-manifolds.

Study finds topological restrictions on 4-manifolds with uniformly positive scalar curvature.

We show $10/8$-type inequalities for some end-periodic $4$-manifolds which have positive scalar curvature metrics on the ends. As an application, we construct a new family of closed $4$-manifolds which do not admit positive scalar curvature metrics.

Constructs 4-manifolds with positive Euler characteristic proving a conjecture.

New proof shows 4-manifolds can't support complex structures.

Let $G$ be a compact Lie group acting isometrically on a compact Riemannian manifold $M$ with nonempty fixed point set $M^G$. We say that $M$ is fixed-point homogeneous if $G$ acts transitively on a normal sphere to some component of $M^G$. Fixed-point homogeneous manifolds with positive sectional curvature have been c…

The topology of symplectic 4-manifolds is related to that of singular plane curves via the concept of branched covers. Thus, various classification problems concerning symplectic 4-manifolds can be reformulated as questions about singular plane curves. Moreover, using braid monodromy, these can in turn be reformulated …

Characterizes unknotted curves on Seifert surfaces of twist knots.

Geometric interpretation of 3-manifold invariants using immersed curves.

The study shows that nonpositively curved 4-manifolds with zero Euler characteristic have degenerating Ricci curvature.

Study on 4-manifolds restricts negatively curved metrics and fundamental groups.

In the author's earlier work there appeared a new way to specify any smooth closed 4-manifold by a surface diagram, which consists of an orientable surface decorated with simple closed curves. These curves are cyclically indexed, and each curve has a unique transverse intersection with the next. Each surface diagram co…

New exotic 4-manifolds with zero signature found.

The period map for 4-manifolds is dense and surjective under certain conditions.

We prove that there exists no a priori bound on the Euler characteristic of a closed symplectic 4-manifold coming solely from the genus of a compatible Lefschetz pencil on it, nor is there a similar bound for Stein fillings of a contact 3-manifold coming from the genus of a compatible open book --- except possibly for …

In this paper, we develop new techniques for understanding surfaces in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ via bridge trisections. Trisections are a novel approach to smooth 4-manifold topology, introduced by Gay and Kirby, that provide an avenue to apply 3-dimensional tools to 4-dimensional problems. Meier and Zupan subsequently develope…

We classify nonnegatively curved simply connected 4-manifolds with circle symmetry up to equivariant diffeomorphisms. The main problem is rule out knotted curves in the singular set of the orbit space. As an extension of this work we classify all knots in S^3 which can be realized as an extremal set with respect to an …

In this paper we study the topology of conformally compact Einstein 4-manifolds. When the conformal infinity has positive Yamabe invariant and the renormalized volume is also positive we show that the conformally compact Einstein 4-manifold will have at most finite fundamental group. Under the further assumption that t…

We show that the bordism group of closed 3-manifolds with positive scalar curvature (psc) metrics is trivial by explicit methods. Our constructions are derived from scalar-flat K{ä}hler ALE surfaces discovered by Lock-Viaclovsky. Next, we study psc 4-manifolds with metric singularities along points and embedded circles…

We give new examples of closed smooth 4-manifolds which support singular metrics of nonpositive curvature, but no smooth ones, thereby answering affirmatively a question of Gromov. The obstruction comes from patterns of incompressible 2-tori sufficiently complicated to force branching of geodesics for nonpositively cur…

The paper tackles deeply slice knots via immersed curves.

Study singular fibers in genus 2 algebraic fibrations and their monodromy factorizations.

The Weyl functional is analyzed on 4-manifolds with positive scalar curvature.

Study determines scalar curvature invariants for 3-spheres embedded in 4-manifolds.

Study counts rational curves on hyperKähler ALE 4-manifolds.

We give an overview of various recent results concerning the topology of symplectic 4-manifolds and singular plane curves, using branched covers and isotopy problems as a unifying theme. While this paper does not contain any new results, we hope that it can serve as an introduction to the subject, and will stimulate in…

Study pseudo-hyperkähler geometry of curves in hyperkähler twistor spaces.