On finite symmetries of simply connected four-manifolds (Q323944)

This paper includes several results. The first result lists a large number of non-spin simply-connected \(4\)-manifolds that admit infinitely many almost completely decomposable smooth structures. The second lists an infinite number of topologically equivalent, but smoothly inequivalent \(\Gamma\) actions on sums of copies of with projective spaces with either orientation, here \(\Gamma\) can be any non-trivial group that acts freely on \(S^3\). The author also proves that the Yamabe invariant of (the conformal class of a) metric invariant under the group action in the previous theorem is negative. She also shows that for a different class of manifolds the Yamabe invariants may be taken arbitrarily close to zero or equal to zero. The first result is a combination of an earlier result of \textit{V. Braungardt} and \textit{D. Kotschick} [Topology 44, No. 3, 641--659 (2005; Zbl 1068.57017)] constructing a similar family with the more recent Bauer-Furuta invariants, \textit{S. Bauer} and \textit{M. Furuta} [Invent. Math. 155, No. 1, 1--19 (2004; Zbl 1050.57024)], and \textit{S. Bauer}'s connected sum formula [ibid. 155, No. 1, 21--40 (2004; Zbl 1051.57038)] to increase the size of the family. She also uses log transforms to increase the number of smooth structures. To build the group actions, she takes the connected sum of each such exotic structure with a rational homology sphere having given fundamental group and universal cover a sum of \(S^2\times S^2\)s. She also uses a second family of manifolds generated by log transforms on elliptic surfaces, when constructing the examples with trivial Yamabe invariant. She notes that her family includes many new counter-examples to the \(4\)-dimensional Rosenberg conjecture.