Equivalence classes of fields of \(2\)-planes and two kinds of almost complex structures on compact four-dimensional manifolds (Q1911181)

Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a field of 2-planes on a compact oriented 4-manifold were established by \textit{F. Hirzebruch} and \textit{H. Hopf} [Math. Ann. 136, 156-172 (1958; Zbl 0088.39403)]. In the paper under review it is shown that such a manifold \(M\) supports only finitely many such fields of 2-planes up to bundle equivalence if and only if the intersection form \(\mu\) on \(M\) is trivial or positive- or negative-definite, or \(b_2 (M) \neq 2\) and \(\mu\) is an indefinite form of rank two. A field of 2-planes is determined uniquely by a pair of almost complex structures, on \(M\) and \(-M\) respectively, and the same conditions characterize the manifolds with finitely many almost complex, or opposite almost complex structures. An (opposite) almost complex structure on \(M\) is determined uniquely by its first Chern class, which must satisfy a pair of relations, the Wu conditions, involving the second Stiefel-Whitney class and the signature and Euler-Poincaré characteristic of \(M\). The proof is completed by counting the number of solutions to these relations. Some examples are given at the end of the paper.