A few remarks about symplectic filling

Abstract

We show that any compact symplectic manifold (W,\omega) with boundary embeds as a domain into a closed symplectic manifold, provided that there exists a contact plane \xi on dW which is weakly compatible with omega, i.e. the restriction \omega |\xi does not vanish and the contact orientation of dW and its orientation as the boundary of the symplectic manifold W coincide. This result provides a useful tool for new applications by Ozsvath-Szabo of Seiberg-Witten Floer homology theories in three-dimensional topology and has helped complete the Kronheimer-Mrowka proof of Property P for knots.