Nongeneric \(J\)-holomorphic curves and singular inflation (Q2340078)

This paper addresses several questions regarding pseudo-holomorphic curves and symplectic inflation in a symplectic 4-manifold \((M, \omega)\). The authors prove several interesting results in a densely argued paper. Broadly, one can ask under what conditions a \(J\)-holomorphic curve exists with homology class \(A \in H_2 (M)\), imposing various constraints on the almost complex structure \(J\), on the curve, and on the homology class \(A\). This paper considers almost complex structures which are fixed on a singular set (normal crossing divisor) \(\mathcal{S} = C^{S_1} \cup \cdots \cup C^{S_s}\), where each \(C^{S_i}\) is a symplectically embedded 2-manifold with homology class \(S_i \in H_2(M)\), and the \(C^{S_i}\) intersect transversely and \(\omega\)-orthogonally. Almost complex structures are required to be \(\mathcal{S}\)-\textit{adapted}, by being integrable near \(\mathcal{S}\), with each \(C^{S_i}\) \(J\)-holomorphic as well as projections of fibered neighbourhoods. The authors are particularly interested in \textit{embedded} holomorphic curves. The authors find various conditions guaranteeing the existence of embedded holomorphic curves. These conditions centrally involve the \textit{Gromov invariant} \(\text{Gr}(A) \in \mathbb{Z}\) [\textit{C. H. Taubes}, J. Differ. Geom. 44, No. 4, 818--893 (1996; Zbl 0883.57020)] and the \textit{Seiberg-Witten degree} \(d(A) = c_1(A) + A^2\). A component \(C^{S_i}\) of \(\mathcal{S}\) is \textit{regular} if \(d(S_i) \geq 0\), and \textit{singular} if \(d(S_i) < 0\) and \(S_i^2 < 0\). The first main result, Theorem 1.2.7, gives a wide range of technical conditions guaranteeing the existence of embedded \(J\)-holomorphic curves with prescribed homology class \(A\). The authors define \(A \in H_2(M)\) to be \textit{good} with respect to the singular set \(\mathcal{S}\) if the following conditions hold: \(\text{Gr}(A) \neq 0\); \(A^2 \neq 0\) or \(A\) is primitive; and \(A\) has non-negative intersection with exceptional spheres and each \(S_i\). The theorem states that if \(\mathcal{S}\) has no singular components, or has one singular component, being a sphere of self intersection \(-4,-3\) or \(-2\), then there exists an \(\mathcal{S}\)-adapted \(J\) such that \(A\) has an embedded \(J\)-holomorphic representative. Even better, under the following conditions \(A\) has an embedded \(J\)-holomorphic representative for \textit{almost all} \(\mathcal{S}\)-adapted \(J\) (all except for a meagre subset): if \(A\) is an exceptional sphere; or if \(A\) has algebraic genus \(0\); or if any non-regular components of \(\mathcal{S}\) have zero Chern class and \(A\) is not a sum of non-regular \(S_i\). The other main results apply to blowups of rational or ruled 4-manifolds, and give a generalisation of the ``symplectic inflation'' procedure of \textit{F. Lalonde} and \textit{D. McDuff} [Math. Res. Lett. 3, No. 6, 769--778 (1996; Zbl 0874.57019)], which is used to prove a relative version of ``deformation implies isotopy'' [the author, First Int. Press Lect. Ser. 1, 85--99 (1998; Zbl 0928.57018)]. The simplest statement of generalised inflation (Lemma 1.2.11) is that if \(A\) is \(\mathcal{S}\)-good, \(A^2 \geq 0\), and \(A \cdot S_i \geq 0\) for all \(S_i\) in \(\mathcal{S}\), then \(\omega\) can be ``inflated along \(\mathcal{S}\)'', meaning that there is a family of symplectic forms \(\omega_{\kappa,A}\) for \(\kappa \geq 0\), with \(\omega_{0,A} = \omega\) and \([\omega_{\kappa,A}] = [\omega] + \kappa PD(A)\). This result essentially appeared in [the author, ``Erratum to: Symplectic embeddings of 4-dimensional ellipsoids'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1305.0230}] but is reproved here; several statements are given, including generalisation to singular surfaces in 1-parameter families and involving negative self-intersections. The ``deformation implies isotopy'' result (Theorem 1.2.12) states that, given a cohomologous second symplectic form \(\omega'\) on \(M\), and a homotopy of symplectic forms \(\omega_t\), \(t \in [0,1]\), from \(\omega_0 = \omega\) to \(\omega_1 = \omega'\) (a ``deformation''), there exists a 2-parameter family of symplectic forms \(\omega_{s,t}\), \(s,t \in [0,1]\), all nondegenerate on \(\mathcal{S}\), such that \(\omega_{0,t} = \omega_t\), \(\omega_{s,0} = \omega\), \(\omega_{s,1} = \omega'\), and the cohomology class \([\omega_{1,t}]\) is constant (an ``isotopy''); so that in fact the isotopy \(\omega_{1,t}\) can be achieved by a 1-parameter family of diffeomorphisms of \(M\). Finally, the authors are able to use their constructions for several applications. Applying the Donaldson construction, they provide approximate asymptotic results on the existence of \(J\)-holomorphic curves (Theorem 1.2.16). With \(\mathcal{S}\) a singular set and \(A\) \(\mathcal{S}\)-good, the authors construct transversely and positively intersecting symplectic submanifolds \(C^{T_i}\), orthogonal to \(\mathcal{S}\) and with \(\sum_i \beta_i T_i = PD(\omega)\) for some \(\beta_i > 0\). Then, for given \(\epsilon_1, \dots, \epsilon_r \in \mathbb{Q}\), they find integers \(N_0, k_0 \geq 1\) so that \(N_0 (A + \sum_i \epsilon_i T_i)\) is \textit{integral}, and for all \(k \geq k_0\), the homology class \(k N_0 (A + \sum_i \epsilon_i T_i)\) is represented by an embedded \(J\)-holomorphic curve, for some \(J\) adapted to \(\mathcal{S} \cup T\). An application is also given to ball packings in \(\mathbb{CP}^2\). The arguments are an interesting mix of general holomorphic curve theory, numerical arguments on homology and index, and direct ``by hand'' constructions. The constructions of \textit{T.-J. Li} and \textit{M. Usher} [J. Symplectic Geom. 4, No. 1, 71--91 (2006; Zbl 1120.53052)] and arguments of \textit{T.-J. Li} and \textit{W. Zhang} [``\(J\)-holomorphic curves in a nef class'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1210.3337}] and \textit{P. Biran} [Invent. Math. 136, No. 1, 123--155 (1999; Zbl 0930.53052)] are adapted to demonstrate existence of various pseudo-holomorphic curves.