It is proved that if the twistor space of a self-dual four-manifold of positive scalar curvature contains a real effective divisor of degree two, then the four-manifold is diffeomorphic to the connected sum n\mathbb {C}{P^ 2} of n complex projective planes for some n. It follows that if the four-manifold is known to be homeomorphic to n\mathbb {C}{P^ 2} , then it is also diffeomorphic to n\mathbb {C}{P^ 2} .

We solve the Fu-Yau equation for arbitrary dimension and arbitrary slope $\alpha'$. Actually we obtain at the same time a solution of the open case $\alpha'>0$, an improved solution of the known case $\alpha'<0$, and solutions for a family of Hessian equations which includes the Fu-Yau equation as a special case. The method is based on the introduction of a more stringent ellipticity condition than the usual $\Gamma_k$ admissible cone condition, and which can be shown to be preserved by precise estimates with scale.

We give an example of a dominant rational self-map of the projective plane whose dynamical degree is a transcendental number.

In [8], Hitchin proved that a compact K/ihlerian twistor space is in fact a projective algebraic manifold. Moreover, it is the twistor space associated to either the Euclidean 4-sphere S 4 or the complex projective plane CF 2 with Fubini-Study metric. The twistor spaces are 3 and the flag of lines in~ p2 respectively. In [10, 11], the author proved the existence of self-dual metric with positive scalar curvature on the connected-sums of two or three copies of the complex projective planes. Their twistor spaces are Moish6zon spaces. In fact, they are the small resolution of the intersection of two quadrics in~ ps with four nodes and the double covering of CP 3 branched along a quartic with thirteen nodes. Recently, the joint work of Donaldson and Friedman [3] produced a general procedure to construct new twistor spaces and hence self-dual manifolds. In this article, we shall follow the spirit of Hitchin's work and prove the

The concept of a selfdual connection on a fourdimensional Riemannian manifold is generalized to the 4ndimensional case of any quaternionic Khler manifold. The generalized selfdual connections are minima of a modified YangMills functional. It is shown that our definitions give a correct framework for a mapping theory of quaternionic Khler manifolds. The mapping theory is closely related to the construction of YangMills fields on such manifolds. Some monopolelike equations are discussed.