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).
523
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Compelling evidence that two basepoints are better than one
This question is inspired by an answer of Tim Porter.
Ronnie Brown pioneered a framework for homotopy theory in which one may consider multiple basepoints. These ideas are accessibly presented in his ...
128
votes
10
answers
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Are there any very hard unknots?
Some years ago I took a long piece of string, tied it into a loop, and tried to twist it up into a tangle that I would find hard to untangle. No matter what I did, I could never cause the later me any ...
23
votes
2
answers
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Uniqueness of compactification of an end of a manifold
Let $M$ be an $n$-dimensional manifold (smooth or topological). I call $\bar{M}$ a compactification of $M$ if it is an $n$-dimensional compact manifold with boundary $\partial \bar{M}$, an $(n-1)$-...
103
votes
5
answers
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Independent evidence for the classification of topological 4-manifolds?
Is there any evidence for the classification of topological 4-manifolds, aside from Freedman's 1982 paper "The topology of four-dimensional manifolds", Journal of Differential Geometry 17(3) 357–453? ...
90
votes
4
answers
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Can every manifold be given an analytic structure?
Let $M$ be a (real) manifold. Recall that an analytic structure on $M$ is an atlas such that all transition maps are real-analytic (and maximal with respect to this property). (There's also a sheafy ...
62
votes
9
answers
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Fundamental groups of noncompact surfaces
I got fantastic answers to my previous question (about modern references for the fact that surfaces can be triangulated), so I thought I'd ask a related question. A basic fact about surface topology ...
34
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6
answers
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Compactification theorem for differentiable manifolds ?
Just parallelling this question, that seemed not to admit an easy answer at all, let's "soft down" the category and ask the same thing in the case of $\mathcal{C}^{\infty}$-differentiable manifolds [...
33
votes
1
answer
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Nilpotence of the stable Hopf map via framed cobordism
The Pontryagin-Thom construction shows that the stable homotopy groups of spheres are the same as the groups of stably framed manifolds up to cobordism. Specifically the Hopf map corresponds to the ...
10
votes
0
answers
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Topological dimension, Hausdorff dimension, and Lipschitz mappings
I can prove the following result. Here $\operatorname{dim} X$ stands for the topological dimension and $\mathcal{H}^n$ denotes the Hausdorff measure.
Theorem. Suppose that $f:\mathbb{R}^n\supset\...
7
votes
2
answers
1k
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G-spaces and manifolds
In his book "The geometry of geodesics" H. Busemann defines the notion of a G-space to be a space which satisfies the following axioms:
The space is metric
The space is finitely compact, i.e., a ...
71
votes
10
answers
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Nice proof of the Jordan curve theorem?
As a student, I was taught that the Jordan curve theorem is a great example of an intuitively clear statement which has no simple proof.
What is the simplest known proof today?
Is there an intuitive ...
65
votes
8
answers
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What are the open subsets of $\mathbb{R}^n$ that are diffeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^n$
I would like to know if there is a known necessary and sufficient
property on an open subset of $\mathbb{R}^n$ to be diffeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^n$ :
For example :
Are all open star-shaped subsets ...
58
votes
6
answers
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Torsion in homology or fundamental group of subsets of Euclidean 3-space
Here's a problem I've found entertaining.
Is it possible to find a subset of 3-dimensional Euclidean space such that its homology groups (integer coefficients) or one of its fundamental groups is not ...
38
votes
1
answer
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Not all manifolds can be triangulated: In which dimensions?
I know that Ciprian Manolescu has settled the triangulation conjecture in the negative: Not all manifolds can be triangulated. I've only read secondary literature on this result, which did not detail ...
32
votes
1
answer
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Fake versus Exotic
Without recourse to the Disc Theorem (or its progeny), is it true that all known examples of exotic differentiable structures on 4-manifolds would be fake rather than exotic?
Terminology (perhaps non-...
14
votes
2
answers
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Example of Noetherian group (every subgroup is finitely generated) that is not finitely presented
A Noetherian group (also sometimes called slender groups) is a group for which every subgroup is finitely generated. (Equivalently, it satisfies the ascending chain condition on subgroups).
A ...
14
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3
answers
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Linking topological spheres
Is there a simple proof of the fact that:
If $A\subset S^3$ is homeomorphic to $S^1$, then there is a circle $B$
embedded into $S^3\setminus A$ that such that the circles $A$ and $B$
are ...
8
votes
1
answer
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Loday's characterization and enumeration of faces of associahedra (Stasheff polytopes)
From "The multiple facets of the associahedra" by Loday:
Let us consider the formal power series
$$f(x) = x+a_1 x^2 +a_2 x^3 + \cdots+ a_n x^{n+1} + \cdots$$
and let
$$ g(x) = x+b_1 x^2 + ...
2
votes
1
answer
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Quantitative results for stabilizing tangent bundles of homology spheres
I'll begin with a broad question: if $M$ is a smooth manifold and $E \to M$ is a stably trivial bundle, can one determine lower bounds on the rank $k$ of the trivial bundle needed such that $E \oplus \...
54
votes
5
answers
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Unusual symmetries of the Cayley-Menger determinant for the volume of tetrahedra
Suppose you have a tetrahedron $T$ in Euclidean space with edge lengths $\ell_{01}$, $\ell_{02}$, $\ell_{03}$, $\ell_{12}$, $\ell_{13}$, and $\ell_{23}$. Now consider the tetrahedron $T'$ with edge ...
48
votes
3
answers
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Thurston's 24 questions: All settled?
Thurston's 1982 article on three-dimensional manifolds1 ends with $24$ "open questions":
$\cdots$
Two naive questions from an outsider:
(1) Have all $24$ now been resolved?
(2)...
38
votes
3
answers
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Why are there no wild arcs in the plane?
On math.stackexchange it was asked whether all arcs in the plane are ambient-isotopic. I suggested that one could prove this by appealing to the Schönflies theorem, which you can do as long as you can ...
33
votes
4
answers
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How to visualize the Riemann-Roch theorem from complex analysis or geometric topology considerations?
As the question title asks for, how do others visualize the Riemann-Roch theorem with complex analysis or geometric topology considerations? That is all Riemann would have had back in the day, and he ...
28
votes
3
answers
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finite generated group realized as fundamental group of manifolds
This is discussed in the standard textbooks on algebraic topology.
Pick a presentation of the group $G = \langle g_1,g_2,...,g_n|r_1,r_2,...r_m \rangle$
where $g_i$ are generators and $r_j$ are ...
27
votes
4
answers
2k
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Can all n-manifolds be obtained by gluing finitely many blocks?
Fix a dimension $n\geqslant 2$. Let $S= \{M_1,\ldots, M_k\}$ be a finite set of smooth compact $n$-manifold with boundary. Let us say that a smooth closed $n$-manifold is generated by $S$ if it may ...
27
votes
2
answers
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Are non-PL manifolds CW-complexes?
Can every topological (not necessarily smooth or PL) manifold be given the structure of a CW complex?
I'm pretty sure that the answer is yes. However, I have not managed to find a reference for this....
27
votes
6
answers
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Failure of smoothing theory for topological 4-manifolds
Smoothing theory fails for topological 4-manifolds, in that a smooth structure on a topological 4-manifold $M$ is not equivalent to a vector bundle structure on the tangent microbundle of $M$. Is ...
25
votes
3
answers
1k
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Algebraic graph invariant $\mu(G)$ which links Four-Color-Theorem with Schrödinger operators: further topological characterizations of graphs?
30 years ago, Yves Colin de Verdière introduced the algebraic graph invariant $\mu(G)$ for any undirected graph $G$, see [1]. It was motivated by the study of the second eigenvalue of certain ...
23
votes
2
answers
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Conformal embedding of Riemann surfaces into 3-space
I can't seem to find any work on the following question: Can every (closed, of finite type) Riemann surface $S$ be realized as an embedded (or even immersed) smooth surface in Euclidean $3$-space, ...
21
votes
3
answers
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Cohomology of fibrations over the circle: how to compute the ring structure?
This question is inspired by Cohomology of fibrations over the circle Moreover, it can be considered a subquestion of the above, but somehow it seems to me that some of the more interesting points ...
19
votes
4
answers
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4-dimensional h-cobordisms
I would like to know the state of the art concerning the following two questions.
1) Does there exist a smooth 4-dimensional h-cobordism (so between closed 3-manifolds) with non-vanishing Whitehead ...
19
votes
3
answers
3k
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What is Kirillov's method good for?
I am planing to study Kirillov's orbit method. I have seen Kirillov's method in several branch of mathematics, for instance, functional analysis, geometry, .... Why is this theory important for ...
19
votes
6
answers
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Diffeomorphism of 3-manifolds
Surgery theory aims to measure the difference between simple homotopy types and diffeomorphism types. In 3 dimensions, geometrization achieves something much more nuanced than that. Still, I wonder ...
17
votes
0
answers
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Does every connected set that is not a line segment cross some dyadic square?
A dyadic square is a subset of $R^2$ of the form $x + 2^{-n} [0,1]^2$ with $x \in 2^{-m} Z^2$, for integers $m,n \geq 0$. We say that a set $A$ crosses a square $S$ if there exists a connected subset ...
15
votes
3
answers
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Folner sets and balls
Several related questions were asked before on MO, but it is not clear to me if the following was settled.
Given a finitely generated amenable group, is it always possible to find some finite ...
12
votes
5
answers
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Which manifolds admit a diffeomorphism of order $n$?
Let $n>1$. Which smooth manifolds admit a diffeomorphism $f$ of order $n$?
For a closed orientable surface $S_g$ of genus $g$ and $n=2$ the answer is in the affirmative, since $S_g$ can be ...
11
votes
2
answers
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Number of the Reidemeister moves needed to transform one diagram into another one
A recent question Random Reidemeister moves to unknot contains a link to the paper http://www.ams.org/journals/jams/2001-14-02/S0894-0347-01-00358-7/S0894-0347-01-00358-7.pdf, in which J. Hass and J. ...
11
votes
2
answers
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Why is $\mathbb{Z}$ not a Kähler group?
Is there some simple proof that $\mathbb{Z}$ is not isomorphic to the fundamental group of any compact Kähler manifold? This follows from the main result of https://arxiv.org/abs/0709.4350 which ...
10
votes
1
answer
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CAT(0) groups that does not act on CAT(0) cubical complex
CAT(0) groups are groups that act on a CAT(0) space properly and cocompactly. If a group acts on a CAT(0) cubical complex properly and cocompactly, then of course it is a CAT(0) Group. I am wondering ...
10
votes
3
answers
843
views
Homeomorphic but Non-Conjugate Mapping Tori
Suppose we fix a genus $g$ closed surface $S$. Let $f, g \in Map(S)$ be conjugate, for $Map(S)$ the mapping class group of $S$. Then I know that $M_f$ (the mapping torus of $M$ with monodromy $f$) is ...
6
votes
2
answers
453
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From topological actions on $\mathbb{R}^3$ to isometric actions
It is known that if a finite group $G$ admits a faithful topological action on the 3-sphere $S^3$, then $G$ admits a faithful action on $S^3$ by isometries. (Pardon proved that a topological action ...
79
votes
1
answer
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Topological cobordisms between smooth manifolds
Wall has calculated enough about the cobordism ring of oriented smooth manifolds that we know that two oriented smooth manifolds are oriented cobordant if and only if they have the same Stiefel--...
70
votes
10
answers
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Galois groups vs. fundamental groups
In a recent blog post Terry Tao mentions in passing that:
"Class groups...are arithmetic analogues of the (abelianised) fundamental groups in topology, with Galois groups serving as the analogue ...
61
votes
4
answers
6k
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Drawing of the eight Thurston geometries?
Do you know of a picture, drawing, or other concise visual representation of the eight three-dimensional Thurston geometries?
I am imagining something akin to the standard picture (of a sphere, plane,...
61
votes
14
answers
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What are some of the big open problems in 3-manifold theory?
From what I understand, the geometrization theorem and its proof helped to settle a lot of outstanding questions about the geometry and topology of 3-manifolds, but there still seems to be quite a lot ...
61
votes
5
answers
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Intuitively, what does a graph Laplacian represent?
Recently I saw an MO post Algebraic graph invariant $\mu(G)$ which links Four-Color-Theorem with Schrödinger operators: further topological characterizations of graphs? that got me interested. ...
59
votes
7
answers
7k
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Status of PL topology
I posted this question on math stackexchange but received no answers. Since I know there are more people knowledgeable in geometric and piecewise-linear (PL) topology here, I'm reposting the question. ...
54
votes
8
answers
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Questions about analogy between Spec Z and 3-manifolds
I'm not sure if the questions make sense:
Conc. primes as knots and Spec Z as 3-manifold - fits that to the Poincare conjecture? Topologists view 3-manifolds as Kirby-equivalence classes of framed ...
50
votes
4
answers
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To which extent can one recover a manifold from its group of homeomorphisms
Question. Suppose that $M$ is a closed connected topological manifold and $G$ is its group of homeomorphisms (with compact-open topology). Does $G$ (as a topological group) uniquely determine $M$?
One ...
49
votes
4
answers
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Elegant proof that any closed, oriented 3-manifold is the boundary of some oriented 4-manifold?
I'm looking for an elegant proof that any closed, oriented $3$-manifold $M$ is the boundary of some oriented $4$-manifold $B$.