Planar Lefschetz fibrations and Stein structures with distinct Ozsváth-Szabó invariants on corks (Q2400899)

According to a theorem of \textit{P. Lisca} and \textit{G. Matić} [Invent. Math. 129, No. 3, 509--525 (1997; Zbl 0882.57008)], if \(W\) is a smooth compact \(4\)-manifold with boundary and \(J\) and \(J'\) are two Stein structures on \(W\) whose associated \(\mathrm{Spin}^c\) structures \({\mathfrak s}\) and \({\mathfrak s}'\) are distinct, then the corresponding contact structures \(\xi\) and \(\xi'\) on \(\partial W\) are not isotopic. In fact, \textit{O. Plamenevskaya} [Math. Res. Lett. 11, No. 4, 547--561 (2004; Zbl 1064.57031)] showed that in such a situation the Ozsváth-Szabó invariants \(c^+(\xi)\) and \(c^+(\xi')\) are distinct elements of \(HF^+(-\partial W)\). In the present paper, Karakurt, Oba and Ukida show that the converse of the Lisca-Matić-Plamenevskaya theorem is false in general. In particular, they construct an infinite family \(\{W_n : n\in{\mathbb N}\}\) of compact contractible \(4\)-manifolds with boundary and pairs of Stein structures \(J_n\) and \(J_n'\) on \(W_n\) such that the associated \(\mathrm{Spin}^c\) structures \({\mathfrak s}_n\) and \({\mathfrak s}_n'\) on \(W_n\) are the same for every \(n\), but the induced contact structures \(\xi_n\) and \(\xi_n'\) on \(\partial W\) have distinct Ozsváth-Szabó invariants for each \(n\). The examples they give are Mazur type manifolds obtained from a symmetric link in \(S^3\) composed of two unknots by putting a dot on one component and attaching a \(0\)-framed \(2\)-handle to the other component. In particular, these examples give an infinite family generalizing the Akbulut cork. The Stein structure \(J_n\) on \(W_n\) is given by choosing a Legendrian representative of the \(2\)-handle. The second Stein structure \(J_n'\) on \(W_n\) is given by generalizing the construction of \textit{T. Ukida} [Topology Appl. 214, 127--136 (2016; Zbl 1354.57030)] of a positive allowable Lefschetz fibration (PALF for short) with planar fibre on \(W_1\) (the Akbulut cork), and then appealing to the correspondence between Stein structures and PALFs proved by \textit{A. Loi} and \textit{R. Piergallini} [Invent. Math. 143, No. 2, 325--348 (2001; Zbl 0983.32027)] (and later by \textit{S. Akbulut} and \textit{B. Ozbagci} [Geom. Topol. 5, 319--334 (2001; Zbl 1002.57062)]). The authors go on to demonstrate that \(\partial W_n\) is irreducible and hyperbolic for each \(n\) and that these \(3\)-manifolds have distinct Casson invariants.