Daniel Ruberman

We construct infinite rank summands isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}^\infty$ in the higher homotopy and homology groups of the diffeomorphism groups of certain $4$-manifolds. These spherical families become trivial in the homotopy and homology groups of the homeomorphism group; an infinite rank subgroup becomes trivial after a single stabilization by connected sum with $S^2 \times S^2$. The stabilization result gives rise to an inductive construction, starting from non-isotopic but pseudoisotopic diffeomorphisms constructed by the second author in 1998. The spherical families give $\mathbb{Z}^\infty$ summands in the homology of the classifying spaces of specific subgroups of those diffeomorphism groups. The non-triviality is shown by computations with family Seiberg-Witten invariants, including a gluing theorem adapted to our inductive construction. As applications, we we obtain infinite generation for higher homotopy and homology groups of spaces of embeddings of surfaces and $3$-manifolds in various $4$-manifolds, and for the space of positive scalar curvature metrics on standard PSC $4$-manifolds.

For each integer $n$ we construct a simply connected $4$-manifold $X$ admitting a smoothly embedded surface $Σ$ of self intersection number $n$ such that the complement of the surface has non-trivial fundamental group. This answers a question of Kronheimer in Kirby's 1997 problem list. The proof combines a topological construction with homological properties of simple groups such as Thompson's group $V$ and certain sporadic finite simple groups.

Let $X$ be a smooth simply connected closed 4-manifold with definite intersection form. We show that any automorphism of the intersection form of $X$ is realized by a diffeomorphism of $X \mathbin{\#} S^2 \times S^2$. This extends and completes Wall's foundational result from 1964.

What is the simplest smooth simply connected $4$-manifold embedded in $\mathbb {C}\mathbb {P}^3$ homologous to a degree $d$ hypersurface $V_d$? A version of this question associated with Thom asks if $V_d$ has the smallest $b_2$ among all such manifolds. While this is true for degree at most $4$, we show that for all $d \geq 5$, there is a manifold $M_d$ in this homology class with $b_2(M_d) < b_2(V_d)$. This contrasts with the Kronheimer–Mrowka solution of the Thom conjecture about surfaces in $\mathbb {C}\mathbb {P}^2$ and is similar to results of Freedman for $2n$-manifolds in $\mathbb {C}\mathbb {P}^{n+1}$ with $n$ odd and greater than $1$.

The Inoue surfaces are certain non-Kaehler complex surfaces that have the structure of a $T^3$ bundle over the circle. We study the Inoue surfaces $S_M$ with the Tricerri metric and the canonical spin$^c$ structure, and the corresponding chiral Dirac operators twisted by a flat $\mathbb C^*$--connection. The twisting connection is determined by $z \in \mathbb C^*$, and the points for which the twisted Dirac operators $\mathcal D^{\pm}_z$ are not invertible are called spectral points. We show that there are no spectral points inside the annulus $\alpha^{-1/4} < |z| < \alpha^{1/4}$, where $\alpha >1$ is the only real eigenvalue of the matrix $M$ that determines $S_M$, and find the spectral points on its boundary. Via Taubes' theory of end-periodic operators, this implies that the corresponding Dirac operators are Fredholm on any end-periodic manifold whose end is modeled on $S_M$.

Echeverria recently introduced an invariant for a smoothly embedded torus in a homology $S^1\times S^3$, using gauge theory for singular connections. We define a new topological invariant of such an embedded torus, analogous to the classical Levine-Tristram invariant of a knot. In the 3-dimensional situation, a count of singular connections on a knot complement reproduces the Levine-Tristram invariant. We compute the invariant for a number of examples embedded tori, and show that our topological invariant is the same as what one might expect from Echeverria's invariant. Langte Ma has subsequently shown this in general.