11/9/2006

Andras Stipsicz
Renyi Institute of Mathematics

Exotic 4-manifolds and rational blow-downs

Applying the rational blow-down process to appropriate 4-manifolds, many new exotic structures on rational surfaces have been discovered in the recent past. In the lecture we will examine how the original rational blow-down scheme (due to Fintushel and Stern) can be extended to other configurations of curves. In a joint project with Z. Szabo and J. Wahl the determination of a necessary combinatorial condition is complemented with a family of plumbing trees appropriate for rational blow-down. Surface singularity aspects of the results will be also discussed.