Symplectic isotopy on non-minimal ruled surfaces (Q6160248)

The paper studies the topological stability problem of symplectomorphism groups for non-minimal irrational ruled surfaces. For all blow-up surfaces, it is conjectured that there is a partition of the symplectic cone into different chambers such that the homotopy groups of the symplectomorphism groups do not change when the cohomology class of the symplectic form varies within the chambers. This topological stability conjecture for symplectomorphism groups has been established by \textit{D. McDuff} [Monogr. Enseign. Math. 38, 527--556 (2001; Zbl 1010.53064)] for the case \(M_g = \Sigma_g \times S^2 (g=0)\), by \textit{O. Buse} [J. Symplectic Geom. 9, No. 2, 147--160 (2011; Zbl 1233.53010)] for the case of \(M_g = \Sigma_g \times S^2 (g>0)\), and by \textit{S. Anjos} et al. [``Stability of the symplectomorphism group of rational surfaces'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1911.00961}] for the case of rational surfaces with Euler number up to 12. Inspired by all these results, the authors approach the conjecture for the one-point blow-up case \(M_g \sharp \overline{\mathbb{CP}^2}\). Unlike McDuff's method of using Kronheimer's fibration over the space of symplectic forms in a certain class \([\omega]\), the main technique used here is the inflation technique which can be used to construct homotopy fibration over the space of \([\omega']\)-compatible almost complex structures where \(\omega'\) is a symplectic form isotopic to \(\omega\). Furthermore, the topological colimit version of the topological stability conjecture is also characterized and the \(g=1\) case is still open. Finally, for the one-point blow-up of ruled surfaces, the symplectic isotopy conjecture of ruled surfaces does not hold because there exists ``exotic symplectomorphisms'' which are smoothly but not symplectically isotopic to identity. Especially, those ``exotic symplectomorphisms'' are not generated by Lagrangian Dehn twists. In conclusion, the authors prove the topological stability conjecture for symplectomorphism groups of the one-point blow-up of irrational ruled surface by the inflation technique and discover some new ``exotic symplectomorphism'' which is not generated by Dehn twist along Lagrangian spheres.