Representing homology classes of almost definite 4-manifolds (Q5893750)

Any 2-dimensional homology class in a simply connected 4-manifold can be represented by an immersed sphere. It is an interesting general problem to find which classes can be represented by smoothly embedded spheres. This question was discussed by \textit{M. A. Kervaire} and \textit{J. W. Milnor} [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 47, 1651-1657 (1961; Zbl 0107.403)]; more recently \textit{K. Kuga} [Topology 23, 133-137 (1984; Zbl 0551.57019)] and \textit{R. Fintushel} and \textit{R. J. Stern} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 122, 335-364 (1985; Zbl 0602.57013)] have brought results on smooth 4- manifolds, proved using Yang-Mills theory, to bear on the problem. In this paper the author considers homology classes in connected sums: Two main techniques are applied: (1) If \(S\subset M\) is an embedded 2-sphere the quotient space M/S is an orbifold, provided that S has no-zero self-intersection number. Results of Fintushel and Stern can be applied to such orbifolds. (2) If S has self-intersection \(\pm 1\), and is in addition a characteristic surface (Poincaré dual to \(w_ 2(M))\) the quotient is a smooth, compact spin manifold, of the kind considered by the reviewer [J. Differ. Geom. 24, 275-341 (1986)]. A sample of the results in the paper: Theorem 1. A class (a,b) in \(H_ 2(M(1,1))\) is represented by an embedded sphere iff: \(| | a| -| b| | \leq 1\) or \((a,b)=\pm (0,2)\) or \(\pm (2,0)\) or \(\pm (1,-1)\). Theorem 2. A characteristic homology class x in \(H_ 2(M(1,2))\) is represented by an embedded sphere iff \(x^ 2=-1.\) The author also gives results on the normal classes of embedded projective spaces.