On sections of elliptic fibrations

From the Introduction: It is well known that two generic cubics \(P\) and \(Q\) in \(\mathbb{C}P^2\) intersect each other in nine points \(z_1,\dots ,z_9\) . By constructing the corresponding pencil of curves \[ \{sP+tQ\mid [s:t]\in \mathbb{C}P^1\} \] one can define a map \(f:\mathbb{C}P^2-\{z_1,\dots ,z_9\}\rightarrow \mathbb{C}P^1\). After blowing up \(\mathbb{C}P^2\) at \(\{z_1,\dots ,z_9\}\) one can extend \(f\) to a Lefschetz fibration \(\pi:E(1)=\mathbb{C}P^2\#9\overline{\mathbb{C}P^2}\rightarrow \mathbb{C}P^1\) with nine distinguished sections and whose generic fiber is an elliptic curve. Our aim in this paper is to describe an analogous construction in the smooth category, but unfortunately we do not know whether our construction arises from an algebraic pencil of curves. Nevertheless, many 4-manifold topologists were curious about such a differential topological construction (e.g., this was posed explicitly as a question by \textit{D. T. Gay} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 3, 569--586 (2003; Zbl 1035.57015)]). Let \(\Gamma^s_{g,k}\) denote the mapping class group of a compact connected orientable genus-\(g\) surface with \(k\) boundary components and \(s\) marked points, so that diffeomorphisms and isotopies of the surface are assumed to fix the marked points and the points on the boundary. A product \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i\) of right-handed Dehn twists in \(\Gamma_g\) provides a genus-\(g\) Lefschetz fibration \(X\rightarrow D^2\) over the disk with closed fibres. If \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i=1\) in \(\Gamma_g\) then the fibration closes up to a fibration over the sphere \(S^2\). A lift of the relation \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i=1\) to \(\Gamma^k_g\) shows the existence of \(k\) disjoint sections of the induced Lefschetz fibration. The self-intersection of the \(j\)th section is \(-n_j\) if \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i=t^{n_1}_{\delta_1}\dots t^{n_k}_{\delta_k}\) in \(\Gamma_{g,k}\) for some positive integers \(n_1,\dots ,n_k\), where \(t_{\delta_i}\) are right-handed Dehn twists along circles parallel to the boundary components of the surface at hand [cf. \textit{H. Endo, M. Korkmaz, D. Kotschick, B. Ozbagci} and \textit{A. Stipsicz}, Topology 41, No.~5, 961--977 (2002; Zbl 1007.57025)]. On the other hand, an expression of the form \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i=t_{\delta_1}\dots t_{\delta_k}\) in \(\Gamma_{g,k}\) naturally describes a Lefschetz pencil: the relation determines a Lefschetz fibration with \(k\) disjoint sections, where each section has self-intersection \(-1\), and after blowing these sections down we get a Lefschetz pencil, cf. \textit{D.T. Gay} [op.cit.]. Conversely, blowing up the base locus of a Lefschetz pencil yields a Lefschetz fibration that can be captured (together with the exceptional divisors of the blow-ups, which are all sections now) by a relation of this type. In this paper we find relations of the form \(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i=t_{\delta_1}\dots t_{\delta_k}\) in \(\Gamma_{1,k}\) for \(4\leq k\leq 9\), generalizing the well-known cases \(k=1,2,3\). A relation of this type naturally induces a Lefschetz pencil, and by blowing up we obtain an elliptic Lefschetz fibration with \(k\) disjoint sections. Moreover, by taking the \(n\)th power of our relation (for \(n\geq 2\)) we have \[ \left(\prod^m_{i=1} t_i\right)^n=t_{\delta_1}^n\dots t_{\delta_k}^n\in \Gamma_{1,k}, \] for \(4\leq k\leq 9\). Once again this relation induces an elliptic Lefschetz fibration \(E(n)\rightarrow S^2\) with \(12n\) singular fibres and \(k\) disjoint sections, where the self-intersection of each section is equal to \(-n\).

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