The Coupled Seiberg-Witten Equations, vortices, and Moduli spaces of stable pairs

We introduce coupled Seiberg-Witten equations, and we prove, using a generalized vortex equation, that, for Kaehler surfaces, the moduli space of solutions of these equations can be identified with a moduli space of holomorphic stable pairs. In the rank 1 case, one recovers Witten's result identifying the space of irreducible monopoles with a moduli space of divisors. As application, we give a short proof of the fact that a rational surface cannot be diffeomorphic to a minimal surface of general type.Comment: late

A wall crossing formula for degrees of real central projections

The main result is a wall crossing formula for central projections defined on submanifolds of a real projective space. Our formula gives the jump of the degree of such a projection when the center of the projection varies. The fact that the degree depends on the projection is a new phenomenon, specific to real algebraic geometry. We illustrate this phenomenon in many interesting situations. The crucial assumption on the class of maps we consider is relative orientability, a condition which allows us to define a $\Z$-valued degree map in a coherent way. We end the article with several examples, e.g. the pole placement map associated with a quotient, the Wronski map, and a new version of the real subspace problem.Comment: 29 pages. First revised version: The proof of the "wall-crossing formula" is now more conceptional. We prove new general properties of the set of values of the degree map on the set of central projections. Second revised version: minor corrections. To appear in International Journal of Mathematic

Seiberg-Witten invariants for manifolds with b+=1b_+=1, and the universal wall crossing formula

In this paper we describe the Seiberg-Witten invariants, which have been introduced by Witten, for manifolds with $b_+=1$. In this case the invariants depend on a chamber structure, and there exists a universal wall crossing formula. For every K\"ahler surface with $p_g=0$ and $q$=0, these invariants are non-trivial for all $Spin^c(4)$-structures of non-negative index.Comment: LaTeX, 27 pages. To appear in Int. J. Mat

Real determinant line bundles

This article is an expanded version of the talk given by Ch. O. at the Second Latin Congress on "Symmetries in Geometry and Physics" in Curitiba, Brazil in December 2010. In this version we explain the topological and gauge-theoretical aspects of our paper "Abelian Yang-Mills theory on Real tori and Theta divisors of Klein surfaces".Comment: LaTeX, 8 page