Stein surfaces as open subsets of $\boldsymbol{\mathbb{C}}^2$

An open subset $U$ of a complex surface can be topologically perturbed to yield an open subset whose inherited complex structure is Stein, if and only if $U$ is homeomorphic to the interior of a handlebody whose handles all have index ${\le}2$.

Full Text (PDF format)

Published 1 January 2005