No label defined (Q4400550)

Based on a workshop talk given by the author, these notes give an introduction to the Seiberg-Witten equations (and resulting invariants) for a \(\text{Spin}_\mathbb{C}\)\ four-manifold. There is special emphasis on the case in which the four manifold is a Kähler surface, in which case the Seiberg-Witten equations reduce to the so-called abelian vortex equations. The author describes the origins of the vortex equations in gauge theory, and explains their relation (via dimensional reduction) to the Hermitian-Einstein equations on holomorphic vector bundles. Much of the material in these notes can also be found in the author's more extensive lecture notes [\textit{O. García-Prada}, in: Proc. Les Houches summer school 1995, 885-934 (1998)]. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0886.00020].