Désingularisation de métriques d’Einstein. I

We find a new obstruction for a real Einstein 4-orbifold with an A ₁-singularity to be a limit of smooth Einstein 4-manifolds. The obstruction is a curvature condition at the singular point. For asymptotically hyperbolic metrics, with boundary at infinity a conformal metric, we prove that if the obstruction vanishes, one can desingularize Einstein orbifolds with such singularities. The Dirichlet problem consists in finding Einstein metrics with given conformal infinity on the boundary: we prove that our obstruction defines a wall in the space of conformal metrics on the boundary, and that all the Einstein metrics must have their conformal infinity on one side of the wall.     

Generators for the tautological algebra of the moduli space of curves

In this paper, we prove that the tautological algebra in cohomology of the moduli space M_g of smooth projective curves of genus g is generated by the first [g/3] Mumford-Morita-Miller classes. This solves a part of Faber's conjecture (Moduli of Curves and Abelian Varieties Vieweg, Braunschweig, 1999) concerning the structure of the tautological algebra affirmatively. More precisely, for any k we express the kth Mumford-Morita-Miller class e_k as an explicit polynomial in the lower classes for all genera g=3k−1,3k−2,…,2.     

On theta characteristics of a compact Riemann surface

Let σ be a nontrivial automorphism of a compact connected Riemann surface X of genus at least two. Assume that σ fixes each of the theta characteristics of X. We prove that X is hyperelliptic, and σ is the unique hyperelliptic involution of X.     

Einstein metrics on five-dimensional Seifert bundles

The aim of this article is to study Seifert bundle structures on simply connected 5-manifolds. We classify all such 5-manifolds which admit a positive Seifert bundle structure, and in a few cases all Seifert bundle structures are also classified. These results are then used to construct positive Ricci curvature Einstein metrics on these manifolds. The proof has 4 main steps. First, the study of the Leray spectral sequence of the Seifert bundle, based on work of Orlik-Wagreich. Second, the study of log Del Pezzo surfaces. Third, the construction of Kähler-Einstein metrics on Del Pezzo orbifolds using the algebraic existence criterion of Demailly-Kollár. Fourth, the lifting of the Kähler-Einstein metric on the base of a Seifert bundle to an Einstein metric on the total space using the Kobayashi-Boyer-Galicki method.     

Geometric formulas for Smale invariants of codimension two immersions

We give three formulas expressing the Smale invariant of an immersion f of a (4k−1)-sphere into (4k+1)-space. The terms of the formulas are geometric characteristics of any generic smooth map g of any oriented 4k-dimensional manifold, where g restricted to the boundary is an immersion regularly homotopic to f in (6k−1)-space.The formulas imply that if f and g are two non-regularly homotopic immersions of a (4k−1)-sphere into (4k+1)-space then they are also non-regularly homotopic as immersions into (6k−1)-space. Moreover, any generic homotopy in (6k−1)-space connecting f to g must have at least a_k(2k−1)! cusps, where a_k=2 if k is odd and a_k=1 if k is even.     

Nonsmoothable group actions on elliptic surfaces

Let G be a cyclic group of order 3, 5 or 7, and X=E(n) be the relatively minimal elliptic surface with rational base. In this paper, we prove that under certain conditions on n, there exists a locally linear G-action on X which is nonsmoothable with respect to infinitely many smooth structures on X. This extends the main result of [X. Liu, N. Nakamura, Pseudofree Z/3-actions on K3 surfaces, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 135 (3) (2007) 903-910].     

Einstein structures: Existence versus uniqueness

Two well-known questions in differential geometry are “Does every compact manifold of dimension greater than four admit an Einstein metric?” and “Does an Einstein metric of a negative scalar curvature exist on a sphere?” We demonstrate that these questions are related: For everyn≥5 the existence of metrics for which the deviation from being Einstein is arbitrarily small on every compact manifold of dimensionn (or even on every smooth homology sphere of dimensionn) implies the existence of metrics of negative Ricci curvature on the sphereS ⁿ for which the deviation from being Einstein is arbitrarily small. Furthermore, assuming either a version of the Palais-Smale condition or the plausible looking existence of an algorithm deciding when a given metric on a compact manifold is close to an Einstein metric, we show for anyn≥5 that: 1) If everyn-dimensional smooth homology sphere admits an Einstein metric thenS ⁿ admits infinitely many Einstein structures of volume one and of negative scalar curvature; 2) If every compactn-dimensional manifold admits an Einstein metric then every compactn-dimensional manifold admits infinitely many distinct Einstein structures of volume one and of negative scalar curvature.     

The stable topology of 4-manifolds

The stable theory (which allows connected sums with S²×S²) is unified and extended using current 4-manifold techniques. Principal new results are a stable 5-dimensional s-cobordism theorem, and the fact that 1-connected smooth 4-manifold pairs stably have handle decompositions with no 1-handles.     

On a class of weakly Einstein Finsler metrics

In this paper we study a special class of Finsler metrics—m-Kropina metrics which are defined by a Riemannian metric and a 1-form. We prove that a weakly Einstein m-Kropina metric must be Einsteinian. Further, we characterize Einstein m-Kropina metrics in very simple conditions under a suitable deformation, and obtain the local structures of m-Kropina metrics which are of constant flag curvature and locally projectively flat with constant flag curvature respectively.     

The geography of spin symplectic 4-manifolds

In this paper we construct a family of simply connected spin non-complex symplectic 4-manifolds which cover all but finitely many allowed lattice points () lying in the region . Furthermore, as a corollary, we prove that there exist infinitely many exotic smooth structures on for all n large enough. Received: 29 August 2000 / in final form: 15 August 2001 / Published online: 28 February 2002     

Maskit combinations of Poincaré-Einstein metrics

We establish a boundary connected sum theorem for asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein metrics, and also show that if the two metrics have scalar positive conformal infinities, then the same is true for this boundary join. This construction is also extended to spaces with a finite number of interior conic singularities, and as a result we show that any 3-manifold which is a finite connected sum of quotients of S³ and S²×S¹ bounds such a space (with conic singularities); putatively, any 3-manifold admitting a metric of positive scalar curvature is of this form.     

Almost complex structure and the quotient four-manifold by an anti-symplectic involution

Suppose that X is a closed, symplectic four-manifold with an anti-symplectic involution σ and its two-dimensional fixed point set. We show that the quotient X/σ admits no almost complex structure if .As a partial converse if X is simply-connected and , then the X/σ admits an almost complex structure.Also we show that the quotient X/σ admits an almost complex structure if X is Kähler and .     

On the structure of conformally compact Einstein metrics

Let M be an (n + 1)-dimensional manifold with non-empty boundary, satisfying π ₁(M, ? M) = 0. The main result of this paper is that the space of conformally compact Einstein metrics on M is a smooth, infinite dimensional Banach manifold, provided it is non-empty. We also prove full boundary regularity for such metrics in dimension 4 and a local existence and uniqueness theorem for such metrics with prescribed metric and stress–energy tensor at conformal infinity, again in dimension 4. This result also holds for Lorentzian–Einstein metrics with a positive cosmological constant.     

Geometric diffeomorphism finiteness in low dimensions and homotopy group finiteness

The main results of this note consist in the following two geometric finiteness theorems for diffeomorphism types and homotopy groups of closed simply connected manifolds: 1. For any given numbers C and D the class of closed smooth simply connected manifolds of dimension which admit Riemannian metrics with sectional curvature bounded in absolute value by $\vert K \vert\le C$ and diameter bounded from above by D contains at most finitely many diffeomorphism types. In each dimension there exist counterexamples to the preceding statement. 2. For any given numbers C and D and any dimension m there exist for each natural number up to isomorphism always at most finitely many groups which can occur as the k-th homotopy group of a closed smooth simply connected m-manifold which admits a metric with sectional curvature and diameter . Received: 21 August 1999 / Accepted: 20 April 2001 / Published online: 19 October 2001     

Dimensions of fixed point sets of involutions

Suppose the fixed point set F of a smooth involution T:M → M on a smooth, closed and connected manifold M decomposes into two components Fⁿ and F² of dimensions n and 2, respectively, with n > 2 odd. We show that the codimension k of Fⁿ is small if the normal bundle of F² does not bound; specifically, we show that k≦ 3 in this case. In the more general situation where F is not a boundary, n (not necessarily odd) is the dimension of a component of F of maximal dimension and k is the codimension of this component, and fixed components of all dimensions j, 0≦ j≦ n, may occur, a theorem of Boardman gives that . In addition, we show that this bound can be improved to k≦ 1 (hence k = 1) for some specific values of n and some fixed stable cobordism classes of the normal bundle of F² in M; further, we determine in these cases the equivariant cobordism class of (M, T). Received: 25 August 2005     

On transversally symmetric pseudo-Einstein and Fefferman–Einstein spaces

We describe and construct pseudo-Hermitian structures θ without torsion (i.e. with transverse symmetry) whose Webster–Ricci curvature tensor is a constant multiple of the exterior differential dθ. We call these structures TS-pseudo-Einstein and our first result states that all these structures can locally be derived from Kähler–Einstein metrics. Then we discuss the corresponding Fefferman metrics of the TS-pseudo-Einstein structures. These are never Einstein. However, our second result states that they are locally always conformally Einstein.     

Integral generators for the cohomology ring of moduli spaces of sheaves over Poisson surfaces

Let M be a smooth and compact moduli space of stable coherent sheaves on a projective surface S with an effective (or trivial) anti-canonical line bundle. We find generators for the cohomology ring of M, with integral coefficients. When S is simply connected and a universal sheaf E exists over S×M, then its class [E] admits a Künneth decomposition as a class in the tensor product of the topological K-rings. The generators are the Chern classes of the Künneth factors of [E] in . The general case is similar.     

Submersions on open symplectic manifolds

Let M be an open manifold with a symplectic form Ω, and N a manifold with dimN<dimM. We prove that submersions with symplectic fibres satisfy the h-principle. Such submersions define Dirac manifold structures on the given manifold. As an application to this result we show that CPn?CPk−1 admits a submersion into R2(2k−n) with symplectic fibres for n/2<k?n.     

On line bundles over real algebraic curves

Let X be a geometrically irreducible smooth projective curve defined over the real numbers. Let nX be the number of connected components of the locus of real points of X. Let x₁,…,x? be real points from ? distinct components, with ?<nX. We prove that the divisor x₁+?+x? is rigid. We also give a very simple proof of the Harnack's inequality.