All Questions
18 questions
17
votes
1
answer
525
views
Lowest Dimension for Counterexample in Topological Manifold Factorization
Bing gave a classical example of spaces $X, Y, Z$ such that $X \times Y = Z$, where $X$ and $Z$ are manifolds but $Y$ isn't. The space $Z$ in his example has dimension four. Is it known if this is ...
- 439
14
votes
1
answer
937
views
Classification of 3-dimensional manifolds with boundary
It is well-known that every closed, connected and orientable 3-manifold $\mathcal{M}$ can uniquely be decomposed as
$$\mathcal{M}=P_{1}\#\dots\# P_{n}$$
where $P_{i}$ are prime manifolds, i.e. ...
- 1,429
11
votes
2
answers
747
views
Volume of an ideal simplex in $\mathbb{H}^3$, idea/intuition behind result
There is the following result on page 160 of Thurston's book "The Geometry and Topology of Three-Manifolds", as follows.
The volume of an ideal simplex in $\mathbb{H}^3$ with dihedral angles $\...
user97565
9
votes
1
answer
439
views
Action of diffeomorphism group on non-vanishing vector fields
Let $M$ denote a closed manifold. Let $\Gamma(TM\setminus 0) $ denote the space of non-vanishing sections of $TM$. Note that the diffeomorphism group $\text{Diff} (M)$ acts on $\Gamma(TM\setminus 0)...
- 1,174
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Classification of closed 3-manifolds with finite first homology group?
I am interested in a topological classification of connected closed 3-manifold $M$ that have finite homology group $H_1(M)$.
Since $H_1(M)$ is the abelization of the fundamental group $\pi_1(M)$, ...
- 41.9k
8
votes
1
answer
281
views
Non-compact three-manifolds with the same proper homotopy type are homeomorphic?
I am looking for some literature with some (counter) examples of the following fact (though I don't know if the fact is true or not):
Let $M, M'$ be two non-compact connected $3$-manifolds with the ...
- 1,097
7
votes
2
answers
534
views
Does there exist a Dehn filling of an irreducible 3-manifold with toroidal boundaries which is still irreducible?
Let $M$ be a compact, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold with incompressible toroidal boundary (there might be more than one boundary component). Is it always possible to choose appropriate slopes on ...
- 605
7
votes
1
answer
475
views
Can we cut and rotate a particular region of a hyperbolic 3-manifold to get another (non-homeomorphic) hyperbolic 3-manifold?
I'm trying to learn more about hyperbolic 3-manifolds, in particular the geometric implications of doing hyperbolic Dehn surgery to suitable knot complements.
Following this paper by Christian ...
- 318
7
votes
1
answer
319
views
Lens space bounding a topological, simply-connected 4-manifold with $b_2=1$
The following is written in section 1.6 (p.7) of this paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1010.6257.pdf.
($\cdots$) Which lens spaces bound a smooth, simply-connected 4-manifold $W$ with $b_2(W)=1$? ($\cdots$...
- 335
7
votes
1
answer
354
views
Decomposition of manifolds with toroidal boundary
Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a compact, connected, oriented 3-manifolds with non-empty connected boundary $\partial\mathcal{M}$. Then, following this article, it is stated that $\mathcal{M}$ can be written as
...
- 1,429
7
votes
1
answer
731
views
What is "topology in dimension 3.5"?
I've noticed a couple of conference titles which reference something called
"topology in dimension 3.5," such as this one and this one. This subject seems quite mysterious to me — it looks like ...
- 6,881
6
votes
1
answer
184
views
Uniqueness of the set of decomposing spheres in prime decomposition of a 3-manifold
At the end of Section 1.1 of 3-manifold groups it is written that "the decomposing spheres are not unique up to isotopy, but two different sets of decomposing spheres are related by ‘slide ...
- 63
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
On the fundamental group of closed 3-manifolds
I know that every finitely presented group can be realized as the fundamental group of a compact, connected, smooth manifold of dimension 4 (or higher). In dimension 2 there are strong restriction on ...
- 683
4
votes
0
answers
269
views
Action of the mapping class group on separating spheres in a connected sum of aspherical 3-manifolds
Let $M$ be a connected sum of $g$ closed aspherical 3-manifolds $M_1, \ldots, M_g$. [Update: I also assume that all the $M_i$-s are diffeomorphic, i.e. $M$ is a connected sum of copies of the same ...
- 3,203
4
votes
0
answers
302
views
Haken manifolds and characterising sutured manifold hierarchies
In Gabai's paper (Knot Theory and Manifolds Lecture Notes in Mathematics Volume 1144, 1985, pp 14-17 An internal hierarchy for 3-manifolds) he considers sutured manifold decompositions of Haken $3$--...
- 367
3
votes
1
answer
76
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 ...
- 173
2
votes
1
answer
227
views
Uniqueness of spheres in prime decomposition of a 3-manifold
Let $M$ be a closed connected orientable 3-manifold. Then Kneser tells us that there is a decomposition $M = P_1 \sharp \cdots \sharp P_k$ of $M$ into prime manifolds. Milnor tells us that if $M = ...
- 5,349
0
votes
1
answer
168
views
Mappings of reducible 3 manifolds with boundary
In section 3 of his paper "Mappings of reducible 3 manifolds" McCullough, proves that every self-homeomorphism of a reducible 3 manifold can up to isotopy be written as a composition of ...
- 1,174