Four-manifold geography and superconformal symmetry (Q1574714)

Let \(X\) be a compact oriented 4-manifold with \(b_2^+>1\). Its Seiberg-Witten invariant is a map SW from Spin\(^c\) structures on \(X\), identified with \(H^2(X,{\mathbb Z})\), to \({\mathbb Z}\). Then \(X\) is said to be of SW simple type if \(\text{SW}(x)=0\) whenever \(x^2\not=c_1^2\equiv 2\chi+3\sigma\). Such a manifold is said to be of superconformal simple type (SST) if \(\sum_x(-1)^{(v^2+v.x)/2}{\text{SW}}(x)x^k=0\) for all \(k=0,1,\ldots,\chi_h-c_1^2-4\) where \(v\) is an integral lifting of \(w_2(X)\) and \(\chi_h=(1-b_1+b_2^+)/2\). The paper sketches the proofs that (a) the property of being SST is preserved by the operations of blowup, fiber sum along \(c\)-embedded tori, knot surgery and generalized log transforms; (b) any compact complex surface with \(b_2^+>1\) is SST, and conjectures; (c) (generalized Noether inequality) if \(X\) is SST with \(B>0\) basic classes, then \(c_1^2\geq\chi_h-2B-1\). For the full proofs see: the authors, Superconformal invariance and the geography of four-manifolds, Commun. Math. Phys. 205, No. 3, 691-735 (1999; Zbl 0988.57019). From (a) and (b), it is conjectured (d) that all compact oriented 4-manifolds with \(b_2^+>1\) are SST. In the last section, the connection with Donaldson-Witten theory is used to motivate why one may expect (d) from the existence of certain 4-dimensional superconformal QFTs.