Smoothings of singularities and symplectic surgery (Q462178)

This paper demonstrates the existence of a useful type of surgery on symplectic 4-manifolds, which generalises the rational blow-down operation of \textit{R. Fintushel} and \textit{R. J. Stern} [J. Differ. Geom. 46, No. 2, 181--235 (1997; Zbl 0896.57022)]. Let \((X, \omega)\) be a closed symplectic 4-manifold. Suppose \(X\) contains a finite collection of closed symplectic 2-manifolds \(C_1, \dots, C_m\) which intersect ``symplectically negative definitely'' as follows: \(C = \cup C_i\) is connected; each \(C_i\) and \(C_j\) (for \(i \neq j\)) intersect \(\omega\)-orthogonally; and the intersection matrix \(I\), where \(I_{ij} = C_i \cdot C_j\), is negative definite. This intersection pattern is described by a plumbing graph \(\Gamma_C\): A vertex \(v\) of \(\Gamma_C\) corresponds to a surface \(C_v\), and is decorated by the self-intersection number \(e_v = C_v \cdot C_v\) and the genus \(g_v\) of \(C_v\); edges of \(\Gamma_C\) correspond to intersections of the \(C_v\). By a theorem of \textit{H. Grauert} [Math. Ann. 146, 331--368 (1962; Zbl 0173.33004)], the negative definiteness of \(\Gamma_C\) is equivalent to the existence of a normal surface singularity \((S,0)\) with resolution dual graph \(\Gamma_C\). The authors assume that \((S,0)\) admits a smoothing with Milnor fibre \(W_C\). The main theorem states that, under these assumptions, there is a tubular neighbourhood \(\nu C\) of \(C\), and an orientation-reversing diffeomorphism \(\phi: \partial(X - \text{Int} \; \nu C ) \rightarrow \partial W_C\) such that \(X_C = (X - \text{Int} \; \nu C) \cup_\phi W_C\) admits a symplectic structure extending \(\omega|_{X - \nu C}\). That is, \(\nu C\) can be cut out of \(X\) and replaced by \(W_C\) to create a new closed symplectic 4-manifold \(X_C\). In particular, there is a symplectic structure on \(W_C\) which glues together smoothly with the symplectic structure on \(X - \nu C\). This theorem resolves a conjecture of Gay-Stipsicz, who proved a similar result under more restrictive assumptions on \(\Gamma_C\) [\textit{D. T. Gay} and \textit{A. I. Stipsicz}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 9, No. 4, 2203--2223 (2009; Zbl 1193.57014)]. The essential idea of the proof is to construct \(\nu C\) and \(W_C\) as symplectic manifolds with contact-type boundaries admitting contact structures \(\xi_C\) and \(\xi_M\) respectively. These contact structures are shown to be contactomorphic, so that gluing them respects symplectic structures. The authors build on the work of Gay-Stipsicz to construct \(\nu C\) and \(\xi_C\) explicitly. Further, they show how to construct explicit open book decompositions supporting \(\xi_C\) and which are \textit{horizontal} with respect to the structure of \(\partial \nu C\) as a graph manifold. In fact, prescribing an arbitrary positive number of binding components at each vertex of \(\Gamma_C\), such an open book decomposition can be found. As for the Milnor fibre \(W_C\) of the normal surface singularity \((S,0)\), it is a Stein domain and has a \textit{Milnor fillable} contact structure \(\xi_M\). The authors rely on results of \textit{C. Caubel} et al. [Topology 45, No. 3, 673--689 (2006; Zbl 1098.53064)] to provide horizontal open book decompositions of \(\partial W_C\) supporting \(\xi_M\). The authors show that these constructions can be used to find horizontal open book decompositions supporting \(\xi_C\) and \(\xi_M\) which have the same positive number of binding components at each vertex of \(\Gamma_C\). The results of Caubel et al. then imply that the open book decompositions are equivalent, so \(\xi_C\) and \(\xi_M\) are contactomorphic, proving the main result.