Blowup formulae in Donaldson-Witten theory and integrable hierarchies (Q5944117)

The blowup formula for the \(SU(2)\) Donaldson invariants \(D: A(X)=\text{Sym}_*(H_0(X)\oplus H_2(X)) \to R\) was derived by \textit{R. Fintushel} and \textit{R. J. Stern} in [Ann. Math. (2) 143, No. 3, 529-546 (1996; Zbl 0869.57019)]. By finding out relations for \(D(\tau^4 z)\) with \(\tau \in H_2(X, Z)\) represented by embedded \(S^2\) of self-intersection \(-2\), one gets a differential equation for the blowup function \(B(x, t)\) by applying \(\tau = e_1 - e_2\) for two exceptional classes \(e_1, e_2\) in the double blowup \(X \# 2 \overline{CP^2}\). Solving the differential equation (which will be generalized to the KdV hierarchy for \(SU(N)\) Donaldson-Witten invariants), one obtains the blowup formula \(\hat{D}_c(\exp (te) z) = D_c(B(e, t) z)\), where \(B(x, t) = e^{-t^2x/6}\sigma_3\) with \(\sigma_3\) Weierstrass function with third root (which will be generalized to the hyperelliptic Kleinian function for \(SU(N)\) Donaldson-Witten invariants). Note that \textit{G. Moore} and \textit{E. Witten} in [Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 1, No. 2, 298-387 (1997; Zbl 0899.57021)] later showed that the blowup formula for the \(SU(2)\) Donaldson invariants from the \(u\)-plane integral holds from the physics point of view. The paper under review is to analyze the blowup formula for the \(SU(N)\) Donaldson-Witten invariants from the physics point of view. First of all, several people have developed the mathematical physics theory for the \(SU(N)\) Donaldson-Witten invariants over smooth 4-manifolds. The blowup formula is derived for the \(SU(N)\) Donaldson-Witten invariants by adapting the hyperelliptic generalization of \(\sigma\)-functions and the theory of hyperelliptic Kleinian functions. The approach is, in principle, the same as in Fintushel and Stern's seminal paper in this subject, with understanding of the blowup function from the \(u\)-plane integral. The paper gives a fair survey on the theory of hyperelliptic \(\sigma\)-functions, Kleinian functions, and the differential equations for hyperelliptic Kleinian functions in section 3. Then the authors show that the blowup function with zero magnetic flux is a hyperelliptic \(\sigma\)-function with specific characteristic and Weierstrass polynomials (similar to the results in Fintushel and Stern's paper) in section 4. In section 5, the authors show that the blowup functions are solutions of the differential equations of the KdV hierarchy. Manifolds of simple type and \(SU(3), SU(4)\) theories are studied in section 6. Some concluding remarks are in the last section 7 with various possible generalizations to different directions.