A stable classification of Lefschetz fibrations (Q2388862)

The author establishes a classification of Lefschetz fibrations up to stabilization by fiber sum operations. The main result is Theorem 2: For every \(g\), there exists a genus \(g\) Lefschetz fibration \(f^0_g\) with the following property. Let \(f: M\to S^2\) and \(f': M'\to S^2\) be two genus \(g\) Lefschetz fibrations, each equipped with a distinguished section. Assume that: (i) the total spaces \(M\) and \(M'\) have the same Euler characteristic and signature; (ii) the distinguished sections of \(f\) and \(f'\) have the same self-intersection; (iii) \(f\) and \(f'\) have the same numbers of reducible fibers of each type. Then, for all large values of \(n\), the fiber sums \(f\sharp nf^0_g\) and \(f'\sharp nf^0_g\) are isomorphic. By the theorem and a result of \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [J. Differ. Geom. 53, 205--236 (1999; Zbl 1040.53094)], any two compact integral symplectic \(4\)-manifolds with the same values of \((c^2_1, c_2, c_1[\omega], [\omega]^2)\) become symplectomorphic after sufficiently many blowups and symplectic sums with the total space of \(f^0_g\) with a suitable \(g\). In the proof of main theorem, suitable Lefschetz fibrations are constructed by making use of presentation of the mapping class group \(M_g\) of a punctured surface by \textit{M. Matsumoto} [Math. Ann. 316, 401--418 (2000; Zbl 0968.57014)] together with the author's device to get factorizations by positive Dehn twists through Hurewitz moves in \(M_g\). The proof is completed by comparing Euler numbers and signatures of Lefschetz fibrations.