Symplectic Lefschetz fibrations on \(S^1 \times M^3\) (Q1592494)

If \(M\) is a closed oriented 3-manifold and \(M\) fibers over \(S^1\), then the 4-manifold \(X= S^1\times M\) has a symplectic structure canonical up to deformation-equivalence. The authors classify symplectic Lefschetz fibrations with empty base locus of \(M\). By this result they provide further evidence in support of the following conjecture, motivated by C. H. Taubes, regarding symplectic structures on such a four-manifold: if the product of a three-manifold with a circle admits a symplectic structure, then the three-manifold must fiber over a circle, and up to a self-diffeomorphism of the four-manifold, the symplectic structure is deformation-equivalent to the canonical symplectic structure determined by the fibration of the three-manifold over the circle. They prove that if \(\omega\) is a symplectic structure on \(X\) defined through a Lefschetz fibration, then \(M\) is fibered with a fibration \(p: M\to S^1\) and there is a self-diffeomorphism \(h: X\to X\) such that \(h^*\omega\) is deformation-equivalent to the canonical symplectic structure on \(X\) associated to the fibration \(p\).