Smooth Four-Manifolds and Complex Surfaces

by Robert Friedman

This book applies the recent techniques of gauge theory to study the smooth classification of compact complex surfaces. The study is divided into four main areas: Classical complex surface theory, gauge theory and Donaldson invariants, deformations of holomorphic vector bundles, and explicit calculations for elliptic sur§ faces. The book represents a marriage of the techniques of algebraic geometry and 4-manifold topology and gives a detailed exposition of some of the main themes in this very active area of current research.