A continuity theorem for families of sheaves on complex surfaces

We prove that any flat family $(\mathcal{ F}_u)_{u\in U}$ of rank 2 torsion-free sheaves on a Gauduchon surface defines a continuous map on the semi-stable locus $U^{\mathrm {ss}}:=\{u\in U \ |\ \mathcal{ F}_u\hbox{ is slope semi-stable}\}$ with values in the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck compactification of the corresponding instanton moduli space. In the general (possibly non-K\"ahlerian) case, the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck compactification is not a complex space, and the set $U^{\mathrm {ss}}$ can be a complicated subset of the base space $U$ that is neither open or closed in the classical topology, nor locally closed in the Zariski topology. This result provides an efficient tool for the explicit description of Donaldson-Uhlenbeck compactifications on arbitrary Gauduchon surfaces.