Contact topology and the structure of 5-manifolds with \(\pi_1={\mathbb Z}_2\) (Q1271459): Difference between revisions

The main result of this paper is that a closed orientable 5-manifold with fundamental group \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) and with second Stiefel-Whitney class evaluating to zero on integral homology admits a contact structure. The paper constructs contact structures on ten example manifolds and uses contact surgery to obtain the general case.