The Algebraic Characterization of Geometric 4-Manifolds

This book describes work on the characterization of closed 4-manifolds in terms of familiar invariants such as Euler characteristic fundamental group and Stiefel-Whitney classes. Using techniques from homological group theory the theory of 3-manifolds and topological surgery infrasolvmanifolds are characterized up to homeomorphism and surface bundles are characterized up to simple homotopy equivalence. Non-orientable cases are also considered wherever possible and in the final chapter the results obtained earlier are applied to 2-knots and complex analytic surfaces.