Questions tagged [gt.geometric-topology]
Topology of cell complexes and manifolds, classification of manifolds (e.g. smoothing, surgery), low dimensional topology (e.g. knot theory, invariants of 4-manifolds), embedding theory, combinatorial and PL topology, geometric group theory, infinite dimensional topology (e.g. Hilbert cube manifolds, theory of retracts).
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Does every orientable surface embed in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$
A topological surface can be pretty strange (consider, for instance, covers of $S^{2}-K$, where $K$ is a Cantor set.) Can every orientable topological surface be topologically embedded in $\mathbb{R}^...
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3
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Why are $S^3-K$ and $\operatorname{SL}(2,\mathbb R)/{\operatorname{SL}(2, \mathbb Z)}$ diffeomorphic? Here $K$ is a trefoil knot in $S^3$
I've heard this result from my differential manifold class, and I don't know how to prove it.
Does anyone know how to construct such diffeomorphism? Please tell me, thanks a lot.
Any comments are ...
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Can triangulations (or some related combinatorial structure) distinguish smooth structures on $RP^4$?
There are exotic versions of $RP^4$, constructed by Cappell-Shaneson, which are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the standard $RP^4$. One way to distinguish them is via the $\eta$ invariant of $...
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regular tiling of a surface of genus 2 by heptagons
Let $S$ be a Riemann Surface of genus 2. Is there a picture in the literature for a regular tiling of $S$ by 12 heptagons (where three heptagons meet at each vertex)? Also, apart from the obvious ...
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Vector bundle for prescribed Stiefel-Whitney classes
I hope this is not trivial.
Let $B$ be a nice topological space (paracompact, CW-complex or whatever you think is nice)
For $i=1,\ldots,n$ let $x_i \in H^i(B,\mathbb{Z}_2)$ be certain cohomology ...
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To what extent is convexity a local property?
A polyhedron is the intersection of a finite collection of halfspaces. These halfspaces are not assumed to be linear, i.e. their bounding hyperplanes are not assumed to contain the origin. The ...
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Seiberg-Witten theory on 4-manifolds with boundary
What generalizations of Seiberg-Witten theory to 4-manifolds with boundary do exist?
I would be especially interested in theories which "behave good" under gluing along the boundary (comparable to ...
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What is parameterization of the trefoil knot surface in R³?
What is a parameterization, say (x(u,v),y(u,v),z(u,v)), of the trefoil knot surface in R³ whose cross-section can be circular or, in general, elliptic?
Thanks!
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Retraction of a Riemannian manifold with boundary to its cut locus
This question is edited following the comment of Joseph. He pointed out that the main object of the first version of this question is the cut locus.
Recall that the cut locus of a set $S$ in a ...
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Knot groups with big number of generators
I start by saying that I am not an expert in this field and I apologize if the question is too elementary.
Let $K$ be a knot in $S^3$. I denote by $\pi_1(K)$ the knot group, which is the fundamental ...
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Acyclic Finite Groups
A group is called acyclic if its classifying space has the same homology of a point. Examples of acyclic groups include Higman's group with four generators and relations, also ...
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3-manifolds with isomorphic fundamental groups
There are many non-homeomorphic 3-manifolds with isomorphic fundamental groups, for example the lens spaces $L(p,q_1)$ and $L(p,q_2)$ with $q_1 \ne \pm q_2^{\pm 1}\mod p$. Also, Seifert fibered spaces ...
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The boundary of a domain whose interior is diffeomorphic to the ball
We know that there are compact manifolds with diffeomorphic interiors but their boundaries are not homeomorphic (see the question Manifolds with homeomorphic interiors).
My question is about a very ...
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Does a connected manifold with vanishing Euler characteristic admit a nowhere-vanishing vector field?
A version of the "hairy ball" theorem, due probably to Chern, says that the Euler-characteristic of a closed (i.e. compact without boundary) manifold $M$ can be computed as follows. Choose any vector ...
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How to prove the connected sum of two closed aspherical n-manfolds (n >2) is not asperical?
The intuitive idea is that the sphere connected the two manifolds is not contractible, which implies the (n-1)th homotopy group is not zero. Another argument, which I am not totally understand, uses ...
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On the topology induced by a Lorentzian metric
Let $(M,g)$ be a time-oriented smooth Lorentzian manifold, with Lorentzian metric $g$. In the following thread:
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/228669/why-pseudo-riemannian-metric-cannot-...
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Explicit description of a subgroup of the braid group $\mathsf{B}_2(C_2)$
This is related to my previous MathOverflow question Fundamental group of $\mathrm{Sym}^2(C_g)$ minus the diagonal.
Let $C_2$ be a smooth curve of genus $2$ and $X:=\mathrm{Sym}^2(C_2)$ its second ...
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Triangulations of submanifolds of smooth manifolds
Every smooth manifold $M$ has a PL structure, and therefore a triangulation. Given a submanifold $N$ of $M$, does anyone know some nice conditions for $N$ to be the subcomplex of some triangulation of ...
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rational cohomology of finite real grassmannian
Let $p_j$ to be the $j$-th Pontryagin class of the universal $n$-plane bundle $E_n(\mathbb{R}^\infty)\to G_n(\mathbb{R}^\infty)$. Then according to Theorem 1.6, The Cohomology of BSO n and BO n with ...
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More on completion/compactification of open manifolds
This is a follow up to one of my previous questions (81714). Suppose that $M$ is an open manifold, say with a single end. Previously, I was concerned with realizing $M$ as the interior of a compact ...
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Stability Question for Isotopies Between Compact Sets
Suppose $X, Y$ are compact sets in $\mathbb{R}^2$ and $F$ is an ambient isotopy carrying $X$ onto $Y$.
Is there an ambient isotopy $F'$ agreeing with $F$ on $X$ and which is constant in a ...
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How to prove the product of Whitehead manifold and $\mathbb{R}$ is homeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^4$?
I am currently reading Rolfsen's "Knots and Links". At page 82 Whitehead manifold $W$ is defined and an exercise asking to show that $W\times \mathbb{R}\cong \mathbb{R}^4$ is left. Reference ...
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Any 3-manifold can be realized as the boundary of a 4-manifold
We know
"Any closed, oriented $3$-manifold $M$ is the boundary of some oriented $4$-manifold $B$." See this post: Elegant proof that any closed, oriented 3-manifold is the boundary of some ...
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All mapping space between CW complexes is a CW complex?
Let $\mathrm{Map}(X,Y)$ denote the (unbased) cellular mapping space from $X$ to $Y$.
If $X$ and $Y$ are finite CW complexes, is $\mathrm{Map}(X,Y)$ a CW complex?
Can we know the cell structure of $\...
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Ehresmann fibration theorem for manifolds with boundary
All manifolds in consideration may have nonempty boundary and may be disconnected.
Let me fix a definition first. A map between smooth manifolds $M\rightarrow N$ is a fiber bundle, iff it's locally ...
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If $X_d$ is a non-triangulable manifold, can $X_d \times T^k$, $X_d \times I^k$, or $X_d \times \mathbb{R}^k$ be a triangulable manifold?
If $X_d$ is a non-triangulable manifold, can $X_d \times T^k$, $X_d \times I^k$, or $X_d \times \mathbb{R}^k$ always be a triangulable manifold?
Let $X_d$ be a $d$-manifold which is NOT a ...
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Bott's Formula for Grassmannians
Bott's Formula gives the dimension of the cohomology $H^{q}(\mathbb{P}^{n}, \Omega_{\mathbb{P}^{n}}^{p}(k))$ of the $k$-twisted sheaf of $p$-differential forms on the projective space $\mathbb{P}_{\...
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A simple closed curve on a surface
How to describe a simple closed curve on an oriented surface of genus g? I know the answer only for the torus. It would be nice to find an article or a book where proof can be found.
5
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Every unorientable 4-manifold has a $Pin^c$, $Pin^{\tilde c+}$ or $Pin^{\tilde c-}$ Structure
The precise statement on J. W. Morgan's "The Seiberg-Witten Equations and Applications to the Topology of Smooth Four-Manifolds (MN-44)" that 4-manifold $X$ admits a Spinc structure (Lemma 3.1.2) ...
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Is it possible to connect every compact set?
Let $X$ be a "nice" space: metrizable, connected, locally path connected perhaps. Let $K\subset X$ be a compact set.
Is there a always a compact connected $L\subset X$ such that $K\subset L$?
This ...
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Homogeneous manifold deformation retracts onto compact submanifold
Let $G$ be a connected Lie group. Then by a theorem of Cartan there is a diffeomorphism
$$
G \cong K \times \mathbb{R}^n
$$
where $K$ is a maximal compact subgroup of $G$. Now, let $M$ be a ...
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Connections to physics, geometry, geometric probability theory of Euler's beta integral (function)
Euler"s integral for the beta function $B(s,\alpha) = $ (with $x = 1$)
$$ \frac{(s-1)!(\alpha-1)!}{(s+\alpha-1)!} x^{s+\alpha-1} = \int_0^\infty t^{s-1}\; H(x-t) \; (x-t)^{\alpha-1} dt = \int_0^x ...
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Is every group object in TopMan a Lie group?
Recall that a Lie group is a group object in the category of C∞ manifolds.
If I have a group object in the category of topological manifolds, can I necessarily equip it with a smooth structure ...
2
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1
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Under which conditions is it possible to find points with same distances under bi-Lipschitz map [closed]
Given two metric spaces $(X,d_X), (Y, d_Y)$, a bi-Lipschitz map $f:X \to Y$ and a finite set of points $\{x_1, \ldots, x_n\} \in X$. Consider in addition, that $X$ is a vector space over $\mathbb{R}$, ...
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Enveloping a Jordan curve with a trace of another one
This question is inspired by this one, or rather the way I understood it.
Let $\gamma$ and $\delta$ be parametrised Jordan curves on the plane (i.e. homeomorphisms from $S^1$ onto its image in $\...
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2
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Algorithm for identifying reducible braids
If $\vec{n} = (n_1,...,n_k)$ is a vector of integers, there seems to be a well-defined homomorphism
$B_k \ltimes \left(B_{n_1} \times \cdots \times B_{n_k}\right) \to B_N$
where $N = \sum n_i$ and $...
2
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1
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Induced Map on Sp(2g,Z) is surjective
Let Mg be the Mapping Class Group for $S_g$, the genus-g orientable surface, and consider the action of Mg on $H_1(S_g,\mathbb Z)$ sending f in Mg to m in $Sp^2(2g,\mathbb Z)$ through the induced map ...
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Smooth structures on closed $3$-manifolds are unique up to diffeomorphism?
Hi!
I'm using the theorem stated in the question, but so far, I haven't found a source that does explicitely state and prove it or at least give a proper citation. It must be me though, since the ...
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What are the shapes of rational functions?
I would like to understand and compute the shapes of rational functions, that is, holomorphic maps of the Riemann sphere to itself, or equivalently, ratios of two polynomials, up to Moebius ...
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The number $\pi$ and summation by $SL(2,\mathbb Z)$
Let $f(a,b,c,d)=\sqrt{a^2+b^2}+\sqrt{c^2+d^2}-\sqrt{(a+c)^2+(b+d)^2}$. (it is the defect in the triangle inequality)
Then, we discovered by heuristic arguments and then verified by computer that
$$\...
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The mathematical theory of Feynman integrals
It is well known that Feynman integrals are one of the tools that physicists have and mathematicians haven't, sadly.
Arguably, they are the most important such tool. Briefly, the question I'd like to ...
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What are good mathematical models for spider webs?
Sometimes I see spider webs in very complex surroundings, like in the middle of twigs in a tree or in a bush. I keep thinking “if you understand the spider web, you understand the space around it”. ...
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Proofs where higher dimension or cardinality actually enabled much simpler proof?
I am very interested in proofs that become shorter and simpler by going to higher dimension in $\mathbb R^n$, or higher cardinality. By "higher" I mean that the proof is using higher dimension or ...
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Tying knots with reflecting lightrays
Let a lightray bounce around inside a cube whose faces
are (internal) mirrors.
If its slopes are rational, it will eventually form a cycle.
For example, starting with a point $p_0$ in the interior
of ...
61
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2
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The topological analog of flatness?
Recall that a map $f:X\to Y$ of schemes is called flat iff for any $x\in X$ the ring $O_{X,x}$ is a flat $O_{Y,f(x)}$-module.
Briefly the question is: what is the topological analog of this?
Many ...
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Kirby calculus and local moves
Every orientable 3-manifold can be obtained from the 3-sphere by doing surgery along a framed link. Kirby's theorem says that the surgery along two framed links gives homeomorphic manifolds if and ...
53
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2
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How to add essentially new knots to the universe?
A knot is an embedding of a circle $S^{1}$ in $3$-dimensional Euclidean space, $\mathbb{R}^3$. Knots are considered equivalent under ambient isotopy. There are two different types of knots, tame and ...
51
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7
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Triangulating surfaces
I've had a few undergraduate students ask me for references for the classical fact (due to Rado) that closed topological surfaces can be triangulated. I know two sources for this, namely Ahlfors's ...
47
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3
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A metric characterization of the real line
Is the following metric characterization of the real line true (and known)?
A nonempty complete metric space $(X,d)$ is isometric to the real line if and only if for every $c\in X$ and positive real ...
45
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1
answer
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Exotic $R^4$ as the universal covering space
Is there a smooth compact 4-manifold whose universal covering is an exotic $R^4$, i.e. is homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to $R^4$?
Remark. I am aware of examples (due to Mike Davis) of compact $...