Let n > 1. We prove a homological stability theorem for the diffeomorphism groups of (4n+1)-dimensional manifolds, with respect to forming the connected sum with (2n-1)-connected, (4n+1)-dimensional manifolds that are stably parallelizable. Our techniques involve the study of the action of the diffeomorphism group of a manifold M on the linking form associated to the homology groups of M. In order to study this action we construct a geometric model for the linking form using the intersections of embedded and immersed Z/k-manifolds. In addition to our main homological stability theorem, we prove several results regarding disjunction for embeddings and immersions of Z/k-manifolds that could be of independent interest.

Let M be smooth symplectic closed manifold and L a closed Lagrangian submanifold of M. It was shown by Ozan that Ham(M,L): the relative Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms on M fixing the Lagrangian submanifold L setwise is a subgroup which is equal to the kernel of the restriction of the flux homomorphism to the universal cover of the identity component of the relative symplectomorphisms. In this thesis we show that Ham(M,L) is a non-simple perfect group, by adopting a technique due to Thurston, Herman, and Banyaga. This technique requires the diffeomorphism group be transitive where this property fails to exist in our case.

We consider the set of all spacelike embeddings of the circle S1 into a spacetime R1 × S1 with a metric globally conformal to the Minkowski metric. We identify this set and the group of conformal isometries of this spacetime as quotients of semidirect products involving diffeomorphism groups and give a transitive action of the conformal group on the set of spacelike embeddings. We provide results showing that the group of conformal isometries is a topological group and that its action on the set of spacelike embeddings is continuous. Finally, we point out some directions for future research.