Symplectic deformations of Calabi-Yau threefolds (Q1366611)

This paper studies the Kähler cone of Calabi-Yau threefolds via symplectic methods. For instance, it is shown that if two Calabi-Yau threefolds are general in complex moduli and are symplectic deformations of each other, then their Kähler cones are the same. The results are generalizations of those in the author's previous paper [Invent. Math. 107, No. 3, 561-583 (1992; Zbl 0766.14035); erratum: Invent. Math. 114, No. 1, 231-233 (1993; Zbl 0794.14016)], where the behaviour of the Kähler cone under deformations of the complex structure was studied -- these results may be recovered as a special case from the current paper. The techniques used involve studying tamed almost complex deformations of the complex structure on the Calabi-Yau threefold, and in particular proving the non-vanishing of certain Gromov-Witten invariants, associated to codimension one faces of the Kähler cone. It turns out that these invariants are locally defined, in that they are determined by knowledge an open neighbourhood of the exceptional locus of the contraction. Thus, the required invariants can in most cases be calculated by making a holomorphic deformation of the complex structure locally, and patching together with the original complex structure, to yield a suitable global almost complex structure in which to work. Certain special cases also need a cobordism argument of Ruan. These calculations in turn involve a far more detailed study of primitive contractions on a smooth Calabi-Yau threefold than had been previously undertaken, in particular for the case of Type III contractions (where a surface \(E\) is contracted to a curve \(C\) of singularities). Thus, for instance, it is shown that \(C\) is always smooth and that \(E\) is a conic bundle over \(C\). More detailed information concerning the Gromov-Witten invariants associated to codimension one faces of the Kähler cone may be found in a recent preprint of the authors, Flops, Type III contractions and Gromov-Witten invariants on Calabi-Yau threefolds.