We construct a generalization of the Seiberg-Witten Floer spectrum for suitable three-manifolds $Y$ with $b_1(Y)>0$. For a cobordism between three-manifolds we define Bauer-Furuta maps on these new spectra, and additionally compute some examples.
We give the definition of the Seiberg-Witten-Floer homology group for a homology 3-sphere. Its Euler characteristic number is a Casson-type invariant. For a four-manifold with boundary a homology sphere, a relative Seiberg-Witten invariant is defined
taking values in the Seiberg-Witten-Floer homology group, these relative Seiberg-Witten invariants are applied to certain homology spheres bounding Stein surfaces.
We use the construction of unfolded Seiberg-Witten Floer spectra of general 3-manifolds defined in our previous paper to extend the notion of relative Bauer-Furuta invariants to general 4-manifolds with boundary. One of the main purposes of this pape
r is to give a detailed proof of the gluing theorem for the relative invariants.
Previously, Cristofaro-Gardiner, Hutchings and Ramos have proved that embedded contact homology (ECH) capacities can recover the volume of a contact 3-manifod in their paper the asymptotics of ECH capacities . There were two main steps to proving thi
s theorem: The first step used an estimate for the energy of min-max Seiberg-Witten Floer generators. The second step used embedded balls in a certain symplectic four manifold. In this paper, stronger estimates on the energy of min-max Seiberg-Witten Floer generators are derived. This stronger estimate implies directly the ECH capacities recover volume theorem (without the help of embedded balls in a certain symplectic four manifold), and moreover, gives an estimate on its speed.
Surgery exact triangles in various 3-manifold Floer homology theories provide an important tool in studying and computing the relevant Floer homology groups. These exact triangles relate the invariants of 3-manifolds, obtained by three different Dehn
surgeries on a fixed knot. In this paper, the behavior of $SU(N)$-instanton Floer homology with respect to Dehn surgery is studied. In particular, it is shown that there are surgery exact tetragons and pentagons, respectively, for $SU(3)$- and $SU(4)$-instanton Floer homologies. It is also conjectured that $SU(N)$-instanton Floer homology in general admits a surgery exact $(N+1)$-gon. An essential step in the proof is the construction of a family of asymptotically cylindrical metrics on ALE spaces of type $A_n$. This family is parametrized by the $(n-2)$-dimensional associahedron and consists of anti-self-dual metrics with positive scalar curvature. The metrics in the family also admit a torus symmetry.