Higher order corks

Abstract: It is shown that any finite list of smooth closed simply-connected 4-manifolds homeomorphic to a given one X can be obtained by removing a single compact contractible submanifold (or cork) from X, and then regluing it by powers of a boundary diffeomorphism. We then use this result to "separate" finite families of corks embedded in a fixed 4-manifold.

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This paper shows that a finite number of exotic copies of a smooth, closed, simply-connected \(4\)-manifold \(X\) can be obtained by removing a cork from \(X\), and then regluing it by powers of a boundary diffeomorphism. Then this result is used to separate finite families of corks embedded in a fixed \(4\)-manifold. From the introduction: ``A cork is a compact contractible \(4\)-manifold \(C\) equipped with a boundary diffeomorphism \(h: \partial C \rightarrow \partial C\). The cork \((C,h)\) is trivial if \(h\) extends to a diffeomorphism of \(C\); for example \((B^4,h)\) is trivial for any \(h\). The cork is finite of order \(n\) if \(h\) is periodic of order \(n\). Corks of order \(2\) will be called involutory. If \(C\) is embedded in the interior of a \(4\)-manifold \(X\), then the associated cork twist \[X_{C,h}:=(X-int(C))\cup_h C\] is homeomorphic [\textit{M. H. Freedman}, J. Differ. Geom. 17, 357--453 (1982; Zbl 0528.57011)] but not generally diffeomorphic [\textit{S. Akbulut}, ibid. 33, No. 2, 335--356 (1991; Zbl 0839.57015)] to \(X\). The paper includes two main results: The Finite Cork Theorem (3.1) and the Separation Theorem (3.3). \begin{enumerate} \item Finite Cork Theorem: Let \(X_i\) (\(i\in\mathbb{Z}_n\)) be any finite list of compact simply-connected \(4\)-manifolds all homeomorphic to a given one \(X=X_0\) that is closed or bounded by a homology sphere. Then there is an AC cork \((C, h)\) of order \(n\) in \(X\), with simply-connected complement in the closed case, whose twists \(X_{C,h^i}\) are diffeomorphic to \(X_i\) for each \(i\in\mathbb{Z}_n\). In the bounded case, these diffeomorphisms can be chosen to extend any given boundary identifications \(f_i:\partial X\rightarrow\partial X_i\). \item Separation Theorem: For any \(n\in\mathbb{N}\) and any family of corks \((C_1,\sigma_1),\dots, (C_n , \sigma_n)\) embedded in a closed simply-connected \(4\)-manifold \(X\), there is a corresponding family of simple involutory corks \((A_i,\tau_i)\), embedded disjointly and each with simply-connected complement in \(X\), whose twists \(X_{A_i,\tau_i}\) are diffeomorphic to \(X_{C_i ,\sigma_i}\) for each \(i\). \end{enumerate} For the proofs of these results, two technical lemmas are applied, namely the Relative Involutory Cork Theorem (1.16) and the Consolidation Theorem (2.1). The Finite Cork Theorem and the Relative Involutory Cork Theorem are the non-closed versions of similar theorems for closed manifolds; the former stated in [\textit{D. Auckly} et al., Algebr. Geom. Topol. 17, No. 3, 1771--1783 (2017; Zbl 1382.57010); \textit{M. Tange}, Int. J. Math. 28, No. 6, Article ID 1750034, 26 p. (2017; Zbl 1371.57025)] and the latter stated in [\textit{C. L. Curtis} et al., Invent. Math. 123, No. 2, 343--348 (1996; Zbl 0843.57020); \textit{R. Matveyev}, J. Differ. Geom. 44, No. 3, 571--582 (1996; Zbl 0885.57016)]. The tools and techniques of this paper include AC cobordisms, pinwheels and handle manipulations.

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