On complex surfaces diffeomorphic to rational surfaces (Q1842514)

The goal of the paper is to prove that a surface of general type can not be diffeomorphic to a rational surface. This is the last step in the proof of the fact that every complex surface diffeomorphic to a rational surface is a rational surface, as well as the invariance of the Kodaira dimension under diffeomorphisms for complex surfaces, which was conjectured by \textit{A. Van de Ven}. The result is obtained by using the \(\text{SO} (3)\) invariants introduced by \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [Differ. Geom. 26, 141-168 (1987; Zbl 0631.57010)]. For the only known example of a surface of general type homeomorphic to a rational surface, the Barlow surface, it was already proved by \textit{D. Kotschick} [Invent. Math. 95, No. 3, 591-600 (1989; Zbl 0691.57008)], as well as \textit{C. Okonek} and \textit{A. Van de Ven} [ibid. 601-614 (1989; Zbl 0691.57007)] that this surface is not diffeomorphic to a rational surface. The proof of the results of the paper are now much easier by using the new Seiberg Witten invariants.