On handlebody structures of rational balls (Q2397837)

A compact \(4\)-manifold \(X\) with non-empty connected boundary \(\partial X\) is said to be a Stein filling of a closed contact \(3\)-manifold \((M,\xi)\) if \(X\) is the sub-level set of a plurisubharmonic function on a Stein surface and \(\partial X\) is contactomorphic to \((M,\xi)\) and is equipped with the contact structure induced by the complex tangencies. A contact structure \(\xi\) on \(M\) is called overtwisted if there is a disk \(D\) embedded in \(M\) such that the tangent plane \(T_xD\) to \(D\) is the same as \(\xi_x\) for every \(x\in\partial D\), otherwise it is called tight. The lens space \(L(p,q)\) is orientation preserving diffeomorphic to the link of the cyclic quotient singularity whose minimal resolution is given by a linear plumbing graph with vertices having weights \(-a_i,\dots,-a_l\), where \(p/q=[a_1,\dots,a_l]\) is the Hirzebruch-Jung continued fraction. For relatively prime \(p,q\), let \(B_{p,q}\) be the \(4\)-manifold obtained by attaching a \(1\)-handle and a single \(2\)-handle with framing \(pq-1\) to \(B^4\) by wrapping the attaching circle of the \(2\)-handle \(p\)-times around the \(1\)-handle with a \(q/p\)-twist. In [Comment. Math. Helv. 89, No. 3, 571--596 (2014; Zbl 1315.53098)], \textit{Y.~Lekili} and \textit{M.~Maydanskiy} showed that \(B_{p,q}\) is always a rational homology ball and it arises as the \(2\)-fold branched cover of \(B^4\) branched over a properly embedded surface bounding the \(2\)-bridge link associated to the fraction \(-p^2/(pq-1)\). They also proved that \(\partial B_{p,q}\approx L(p^2,pq-1)\), where \(\approx\) denotes a diffeomorphism of two manifolds, and that each \(B_{p,q}\) supports a Stein structure filling the universally tight contact structure on \(L(p^2,pq-1)\). For relatively prime \(m,n\), let \(A_{m,n}\) be the \(4\)-manifold obtained by attaching a \(1\)-handle and a single \(2\)-handle with framing \(mn\) to \(B^4\) by attaching the \(2\)-handle along a simple closed curve embedded on a once-punctured torus viewed in \(S^1\times S^2\) so that the attaching circle traverses the two \(1\)-handles of the torus \(m\) and \(n\) times, respectively. In [J. Aust. Math. Soc. 96, No. 1, 78--126 (2014; Zbl 1311.57012)], \textit{T.~Kadokami} and \textit{Y.~Yamada} showed that \(\partial A_{m,n}\approx L(p^2,pq-1)\), where \(m+n=p\) and \(mq=\pm 1\mod p\). They also posed the question whether \(A_{m,n}\) and \(B_{p,q}\) are diffeomorphic, homeomorphic, or even homotopic relative to their boundaries as \(4\)-manifolds. In this paper, the authors answer this question by proving that for each pair of relatively prime positive integers \((m,n)\), \(A_{m,n}\) carries a Stein structure \(J_{m,n}\) filling the universally tight contact structure \(\xi_{\roman{st}}\) on the lens space \(\partial A_{m,n}\). In particular, each \(A_{m,n}\approx B_{p,q}\) if and only if \(\partial A_{m,n}\approx \partial B_{p,q}\). Also, they construct boundary diffeomorphisms between these families. Using the carving process it is shown that these boundary maps can be extended to diffeomorphisms between the spaces \(B_{ p,q}\) and \(A_{m,n}\).