Donaldson’s Diagonalization Theorem has been used extensively over the past 15 years as an obstructive tool. For example, it has been used to obstruct: rational homology 3-spheres from bounding rational homology 4-balls; knots from being (smoothly) slice; and knots from bounding (smooth) Mobius bands in the 4-ball. In this multi-part series, we will see how this obstruction works, while getting into the weeds with concrete calculations that are usually swept under the rug during research talks.
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