1997/12/06 by Laurence R. Taylor
Mathematics · #Advanced Operator Algebra Research #Combinatorics #Diffeomorphism #Geometric and Algebraic Topology #Geometry and complex manifolds #Invariant (physics) #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Pure mathematics #math.GT #msc:57N13 #msc:57R10
paper · pdf · doi:10.2140/gt.1997.1.71
published as Geom. Topol. 1 (1997) 71-89 · 19 pages. Published copy, also available at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/gt/GTVol1/paper6.abs.html
arxiv created 1997/12/06 · openalex publication_date 1997/12/06 · arxiv updated 2014/11/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We define a diffeomorphism invariant of smooth 4-manifolds which we can estimate for many smoothings of R 4 and other smooth 4-manifolds. Using this invariant we can show that uncountably many smoothings of R 4 support no Stein structure. Gompf [11] constructed uncountably many smoothings of R 4 which do support Stein structures. Other applications of this invariant are given.