Questions tagged [handle-decomposition]

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2 answers
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Does every compact manifold exhibit an almost global chart

Let $M$ be a compact connected manifold. Is there a chart $\Psi:U \to \mathbb{R}^n$ such that the closure of $U$ is $M$? This is true for $S^n, T^n, K$, all compact surfaces, etc. If it is not true in ...
hoj201's user avatar
  • 614
10 votes
3 answers
614 views

Doubles of 2-handlebodies

Let $X$ denote a $4$-manifold with boundary obtained by adding $k_1$ $1$-handles to $B^4$ and $k_2$ many $2$-handles to the resulting manifold i.e. $X$ is an arbitrary $4$-dimensional $2$-handlebody. ...
ThorbenK's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
744 views

What are Kirby diagrams of candidate exotic 4-manifolds?

It is an open problem whether there exist smooth manifolds homeomorphic, but not diffeomorphic to the standard $S^4$. The same is true for the 4-torus and several other manifolds. Handle ...
Manuel Bärenz's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
389 views

Are there invariants of cell complexes similar to the Euler characteristic?

The Euler characteristic is an invariant (under homeomorphism) of manifolds that can be computed from a cellulation by (weighted) counting of different kinds of objects, namely \begin{equation} \chi=\...
Andi Bauer's user avatar
  • 2,901
7 votes
2 answers
388 views

Handle decompositions using only 1-handles

Let $\Sigma$ be an oriented, compact, connected 2-manifold with boundary. Assume that its boundary is equipped with a disjoint union decomposition into two non-empty parts: $$\partial\Sigma=\partial_{...
André Henriques's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
567 views

Generalizations of the handle trading techniques

As Theorem 8.1 in "Lectures on the h-cobordism theorem (written by J.Milnor)" show, we can choose a handle decomposition of cobordism (satisfying some connectivity and dimensional assumptions) with no ...
Shinichiro Nakamura's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
273 views

Dehn surgery along primitive knot in 3-dimensional handlebody

I'm studying the article "An alternative proof of Lickorish–Wallace theorem" (doi link) and I got stuck in a problem. Let $H_g$ be a 3 dimensional handlebody of genus $g$, a primate curve in ...
Giacomo Bascapè's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
225 views

Does there always exist a sequence of handle moves between handle decompositions that does not increase index? (+ ref. request)

Reference request: Firstly, I'm looking for a proof of the following well-known result about handle decompositions: ($\ast$) Given two handle decompositions of a smooth $n$-manifold $M$, there ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 365
6 votes
0 answers
353 views

Questions about a paper by Laudenbach and Poénaru

I am working on the 1972 paper A Note on 4-Dimensional Handlebodies by F. Laudenbach and V. Poénaru, and I had two questions. I will use their notations to simplify things, since the paper is very ...
Anthony's user avatar
  • 283
6 votes
0 answers
424 views

Handle attachment in symplectic category

It is known that for an exact symplectic manifold $(M,\omega_M)$ with a convex boundary $(\partial M,\theta_M)$, where $d\theta_M=\omega_M$ (usually called a Liouville domain), one can attachment to ...
jhgfd's user avatar
  • 175
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Heegaard splitting, equivalent homeomorphisms, mapping class group of genus n-torus

Given a Heegaard splitting of genus $n$, and two distinct orientation preserving homeomorphisms, elements of the mapping class group of the genus $n$ torus, is there a method which shows whether or ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
520 views

Betti numbers of non-orientable $3$-manifolds

Let $M^3$ be a compact $3$-manifold with boundary $\partial M$. If $M$ is orientable, then it is known (see Lemma 3.5 here) that $2\dim(\ker(H_1(\partial M,\mathbb{Q})\rightarrow H_1(M,\mathbb{Q})))=\...
Alessio Di Prisa's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
278 views

The handlebody decomposition of S^1 bundles over surfaces?

What is the most natural handlebody decomposition of $F_g \times S^1$, if $F_g$ is an orientable closed surface of genus $g$?
Jake B.'s user avatar
  • 1,425
4 votes
2 answers
687 views

Are there Kirby diagrams with 3-handles?

Let $M\colon \partial_- M \to \partial_+ M$ be an oriented, compact cobordism. Assume that there is a handle decomposition with at most one 0-handle, and denote the handle bodies by $M_i, i \in \{0,\...
Manuel Bärenz's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
168 views

Complement of Donaldson divisors in dimension 4

Let $(X,\omega)$ be a symplectic 4-manifold such that $\omega$ has a rational cohomology class. I am interested in Donaldson divisors (surfaces) $D$ in $(X,\omega)$ whose complement is a 1-handle body....
Mohammad Farajzadeh-Tehrani's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
257 views

Cap product for (co)homology from handle decompositions/Kirby diagrams

Since handle decompositions and Morse functions are intimately related, I'm imagining that a given explicit handle decomposition allows for an explicit description of the cellular complex and thus of (...
Manuel Bärenz's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Self-indexing Morse functions on non-compact manifolds

Hi, given a compact manifold M we can always alter a given Morse function f to a self-indexing one (i.e., one where every critical point c has $f(c) = \operatorname{index}(c)$) - a proof of this may ...
AlexE's user avatar
  • 2,926
3 votes
2 answers
349 views

Handlebody decomposition of a 3-manifold adapted to a link

Given a compact connected 3-manifold $M$ with non-empty boundary, and a link $L \subset M$, is there a handlebody decomposition of $M = H^0 \cup (\cup_i H^1_i) \cup \{\text{2-handles}\}$ such that: $...
Daniele Zuddas's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
74 views

Given a Heegaard splitting $M = V\cup_F W$, then $V\setminus N(D_1)$ is ambient isotopic to $V\cup N(D_2)$ for a meridian pair $\{D_1,D_2\}$

I sincerely apologize if MathOverflow is not the appropriate place to ask this question. I also tried consulting M.SE but it seems that this question gained little to no interest . Consider a ...
Zest's user avatar
  • 173
3 votes
1 answer
220 views

Handle attachment information from Morse function and triangulation

First, allow me to setup the relevant information. It is well known that a Morse function $f:M\to\mathbb{R}$ induces a handle decomposition of $M$. For simplicity, let's restrict for now to the ...
rab's user avatar
  • 159
3 votes
1 answer
180 views

Connected sum of algebraic curves, handlebody decomposition, and induction on genus

Are there any nice methods of taking algebraic curves $C_1, C_2$ of genera $g_1,g_2$ and producing a curve $C_3 = C_1 \# C_2$ of genus $g_3 = g_1+g_2$? I'm imagining doing this over any field, but ...
PrimeRibeyeDeal's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
100 views

What's a completely computational/syntactical model for handle decompositions of manifolds?

Simplicial sets, CW complexes Simplicial sets can be described completely algebraically, by specifying a family of sets, and maps between them satisfying certain relations. This description can be ...
Manuel Bärenz's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
192 views

Is complex surface in CP(3) a two handlebody?

Consider a complex surface given by homogeneous equation in $\mathbb{C}P^3$. Without loss of generality, take \begin{equation} S = \{[x:y:z:w] \in \mathbb{C}P^3~ |~ x^d + y^d + z^d + w^d = 0\} \end{...
Kevin Ye's user avatar
  • 367
2 votes
1 answer
262 views

Different Heegaard splittings of a 3-manifold

I want to study same 3-manifolds with different Heegaard splitings. Of course one has stabilization, but even with the same genus, we have different Heegaard splittings. If we encode a 3-manifolds by ...
Jake B.'s user avatar
  • 1,425
2 votes
0 answers
115 views

Attaching a 2-handle to a once-twisted unlink in the boundary of the 4-ball

Consider the 3-sphere $S_3$ with an unlink loop $L$ whose tubular neighborhood is identified with the solid torus $B_2\times S_1$ with one twist, i.e., such that the image of $x\times S_1$ (where $x$ ...
Andi Bauer's user avatar
  • 2,901
2 votes
0 answers
301 views

Uniqueness of the Smooth Structure on a Handle Attachment [closed]

I posted this question on math stack exchange and didn't receive an answer. If it is too elementary for this forum I will be happy to delete it. Let $M^m$ be a smooth manifold with boundary. We may ...
Tim kinsellas's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
208 views

Multi-connected sum decomposition of $n$-manifolds

A connected sum decomposition of a closed $n$-manifold $M^n$: $M^n = M_1^n \# M_2^n$, is to view $M^n$ as two closed $M_1^n$ and $M_2^n$, joined by a neck $I\times S^{n-1}$. Similarly, a $k$-connected ...
Xiao-Gang Wen's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
176 views

An example of handle decomposition on modified $S^5$

I would like to give the following object, $M=S^5 \setminus \sqcup_{2 \text{ copies}} \text{int}(S^1\times D^4)$, a handle decomposition. It is then to be attached to another manifold. along the two ...
Virgile Guemard's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
111 views

A sufficient condition for a collection of open sets of a manifold to contain all open sets

Question Let $k\geq 0$ be an integer and let $M$ be a topological $n$-manifold. Let $\mathcal{U}$ be a set of open sets of $M$ which satisfies the following closure properties: (1). Let $U\subset M$ ...
Ken's user avatar
  • 1,825