Cyclic Nielsen realization for del Pezzo surfaces

Abstract

The cyclic Nielsen realization problem for a closed, oriented manifold asks whether any mapping class of finite order can be represented by a homeomorphism of the same order. In this article, we resolve the smooth, metric, and complex cyclic Nielsen realization problem for certain "irreducible" mapping classes on the family of smooth 4-manifolds underlying del Pezzo surfaces. Both positive and negative examples of realizability are provided in various settings. Our techniques are varied, synthesizing results from reflection group theory and 4-manifold topology.

37 pages, 1 figure