Self-dual SU(2) moduli space For the proof of
Donaldson's theorem,
Simon Donaldson considered the self-dual Yang–Mills moduli space \mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} of the unique
principal SU(2)-bundle P\twoheadrightarrow X with c_2(P)[X]=-1 over a
simply connected Riemannian 4-manifold X with negative definite intersection form \omega . (Over the
4-sphere S^4 , this would be the quaternionic
Hopf fibration S^7\twoheadrightarrow S^4 .) After first assuming simple connectedness for b_1(X)=0 in , he expanded the proof to also work without it in . If the
intersection form \omega is definite, then furthermore b_2^+(X)=0 . According to the above formula, • If there are n pairs \pm\alpha\in H^2(X,\mathbb{Z}) to the equation \omega(\alpha,\alpha)=\langle\alpha^2,[X]\rangle=1 with the
Kronecker pairing and
fundamental class, then there are n singularities x_1,\ldots,x_n\in\mathcal{M}_P^+ , so that \mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD}\setminus\{x_1,\ldots,x_n\} is a
5-manifold. Every such singularity x_i\in\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} has a neighborhood U_i\subset\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} diffeomorphic to a
cone over the second
complex projective space \mathbb{C}P^2 (whose tip corresponds to the singularity). • There exists a neighborhood of the boundary \partial\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} which is
diffeomorphic to a half-open cylinder over X , meaning that \overline\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} :=\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD}\cup X yields a
compactification with \partial\overline\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} =X . (A similar approach also works for other negative Chern classes (or positive in the convention of
The Geometry of Four-Manifolds).) If additionally the cones around the singularities are removed, then \overline\mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD}\setminus(U_1\cup\ldots\cup U_n) describes a
bordism between X and (\mathbb{C}P^2)^{\sqcup n} . It is important, that all second complex projective spaces have the same orientation, since \mathbb{C}P^2\sqcup\overline{\mathbb{C}P^2} is nullbordant (as the boundary the
5-manifold \mathbb{C}P^2\times[0,1] ) and hence could be canceled out. Since the signature is invariant under bordisms and transfers
disjoint unions into sums, one has \sigma(X) =n\sigma(\mathbb{C}P^2) =n .
Self-dual SO(3) moduli space Ron Fintushel and
Ronald J. Stern considered the self-dual Yang–Mills moduli space \mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} of a principal \operatorname{SO}(3) -bundle P\twoheadrightarrow X with p_2(P)[X]=2 over a
simply connected Riemannian 4-manifold X with negative definite intersection form \omega . As before, b_1(X)=0 and b_1(X)=0 . According to the above formula, the self-dual Yang–Mills moduli space \mathcal{M}_P^\mathrm{SD} is one-dimensional. == References ==