We introduce and define "oriented framed measured lamination links" in a 3-manifold $M$. These generalize oriented framed links in 3-manifolds, and are confined to 2-dimensional improperly embedded subsurfaces of the 3-manifold. Just as some framed links bound Seifert surfaces, so also some framed lamination links bound 2-dimensional measured and oriented "Seifert laminations." We show that any lamination link which bounds a 2-dimensional Seifert lamination, bounds a "taut" Seifert lamination, i.e. one of maximum Euler characteristic, subject to the condition that the Seifert lamination is carried by an aspherical branched surface. This maximum Euler characteristic function is continuous on certain parametrized families of lamination links carried by a train track neighborhood. Taut Seifert laminations generalize minimal genus Seifert surfaces.
We use sutured manifold theory, essential laminations and essential branched surfaces to establish the upper bounds of distances between certain types of nonsimple Dehn surgery slopes. This is the revised version of an earlier preprint {\it Dehn surgery and simple manifolds.}
We generalize H. Seifert's algorithm for finding a Seifert surface for a knot or link. The generalization applies to "framed oriented measured lamination links." For knots, a Seifert surface determines a unique framing. In our setting, we analyze the set of framed lamination links which bound Seifert laminations and are carried by an $S^1$-fibered tube neighborhood of an oriented train track embedded in a 3-manifold.
This is a problem list in the theory of foliations and laminations of 3-manifolds. The focus is on the relationship of foliations and laminations with other aspects of 3-manifold topology, especially with the Thurston theory of geometric structures. This problem list is not meant to be comprehensive; rather it focusses on research areas that currently seem (to the author) particularly promising.
We show that if a closed atoroidal 3-manifold M contains a genuine lamination, then it is group negatively curved in the sense of Gromov. Specifically, we exploit the structure of the non-product complementary regions of the genuine lamination and then apply the first author's Ubiquity Theorem to show that M satisfies a linear isoperimetric inequality.
A famous example of Casson and Gordon shows that a Haken 3-manifold can have an infinite family of irreducible Heegaard splittings with different genera. In this paper, we prove that a closed non-Haken 3-manifold has only finitely many irreducible Heegaard splittings, up to isotopy. This is much stronger than the Waldhausen conjecture. Another immediate corollary is that for any irreducible non-Haken 3-manifold M, there is a number N, such that any two Heegaard splittings of M are equivalent after at most N stabilizations.
We show that if $\mathcal{L}$ is a codimension-one lamination in a finite volume hyperbolic 3-manifold such that the principal curvatures of each leaf of $\mathcal{L}$ are all in the interval $(-δ,δ)$ for a fixed $δ\in[0,1)$ and no complimentary region of $\mathcal{L}$ is an interval bundle over a surface, then each boundary leaf of $\mathcal{L}$ has a nontrivial fundamental group. We also prove existence of a fixed constant $δ_0 > 0$ such that if $\mathcal{L}$ is a codimension-one lamination in a finite volume hyperbolic 3-manifold such that the principal curvatures of each leaf of $\mathcal{…
If M is an atoroidal 3-manifold with a taut foliation, Thurston showed that pi_1(M) acts on a circle. Here, we show that some other classes of essential laminations also give rise to actions on circles. In particular, we show this for tight essential laminations with solid torus guts. We also show that pseudo-Anosov flows induce actions on circles. In all cases, these actions can be made into faithful ones, so pi_1(M) is isomorphic to a subgroup of Homeo(S^1). In addition, we show that the fundamental group of the Weeks manifold has no faithful action on S^1. As a corollary, the Weeks manifold…
We give a sufficient condition for a branched surface in a 3 dimensional manifold to fully carry a lamination, giving a piece of answer to a classical question of D. Gabai.
The aim of the paper is to investigate the relation between inverse limit of branched manifolds and codimension zero laminations. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for such an inverse limit to be a lamination. We also show that codimension zero laminations are inverse limits of branched manifolds. The inverse limit structure allows us to show that equicontinuous codimension zero laminations preserves a distance function on transversals.
We define a laminar branched surface to be a branched surface satisfying the following conditions: (1) Its horizontal boundary is incompressible; (2) there is no monogon; (3) there is no Reeb component; (4) there is no sink disk (after eliminating trivial bubbles in the branched surface). The first three conditions are standard in the theory of branched surfaces, and a sink disk is a disk branch of the branched surface with all branch directions of its boundary arcs pointing inwards. We will show in this paper that every laminar branched surface carries an essential lamination, and any essenti…
We show that every topological surface lamination of a 3-manifold M is isotopic to one with smoothly immersed leaves. This carries out a project proposed by Gabai in [Problems in foliations and laminations, AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math. 2.2 1--33]. Consequently any such lamination admits the structure of a Riemann surface lamination, and therefore useful structure theorems of Candel [Uniformization of surface laminations, Ann. Sci. Ecole Norm. Sup. 26 (1993) 489--516] and Ghys [Dynamique et geometrie complexes, Panoramas et Syntheses 8 (1999)] apply.
We give a general lower bound for the normal Gromov norm of genuine laminations in terms of the topology of the complementary regions. In the special case of 3-manifolds, this yields a generalization of Agol's inequality from incompressible surfaces to tight laminations. In particular, the inequality excludes the existence of tight laminations with nonempty guts on 3-manifolds of small simplicial volume.
A persistent lamination for a knot K is an essential lamination in the complement of K, which remains essential after every non-trivial Dehn surgery along K. Having a persistent lamination implies, for example, that every manifold obtained by non-trivial Dehn surgery along K has universal cover R^3. In this paper we present a method for building persistent laminations for knots from an incompressible Seifert surface for some `parent' knot. Using this construction, we can, for example, currently build persistent laminations for approximately 45 percent of the knots in the standard knot tables; …
We analyse the existence question for essential laminations in 3-manifolds. The purpose is to prove that there are infinitely many closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds which do not admit essential laminations. This answers in the negative a question posed by Gabai and Oertel. The proof is obtained by analysing certain group actions on trees and showing that certain 3-manifold groups only have trivial actions on trees. In general the trees are neither simplicial nor metric. There are corollaries concerning the existence question for Reebless foliations and pseudo-Anosov flows.
Measured foliations at infinity of quasi-Fuchsian manifolds are a natural analog at infinity to the measured bending laminations on the boundary of its convex core. We show that given a pair of arational measured foliations $(\mathsf{F}_{+},\mathsf{F}_{-})$ which fill a closed hyperbolic surface $S$, for $t>0$ sufficiently small, $t\mathsf{F}_{+}$ and $t\mathsf{F}_{-}$ can be uniquely realised as the measured foliations at infinity of a quasi-Fuchsian manifold homeomorphic to $S\times \mathbb{R}$, which is sufficiently close to the Fuchsian locus. Here arationality means that the corresponding…
We show that for a taut foliation F with one-sided branching of an atoroidal 3-manifold M, one can construct a pair of genuine laminations with solid torus complementary regions which bind every leaf of F in a geodesic lamination. These laminations come from a universal circle, a refinement of the universal circles proposed by Thurston, which maps monotonely and group-equivariantly to each of the circles at infinity of the leaves of the universal cover of F, and is minimal with respect to this property. This circle is intimately bound up with the extrinsic geometry of the leaves of F. In parti…
Let Gamma_0 be a discrete group. For a pair (j,rho) of representations of Gamma_0 into PO(n,1)=Isom(H^n) with j geometrically finite, we study the set of (j,rho)-equivariant Lipschitz maps from the real hyperbolic space H^n to itself that have minimal Lipschitz constant. Our main result is the existence of a geodesic lamination that is "maximally stretched" by all such maps when the minimal constant is at least 1. As an application, we generalize two-dimensional results and constructions of Thurston and extend his asymmetric metric on Teichmüller space to a geometrically finite setting and to …
For any 3-manifold M and any nonnegative integer g, we give here examples of metrics on M each of which has a sequence of embedded minimal surfaces of genus g and without Morse index bounds. On any spherical space form S^3/Gamma we construct such a metric with positive scalar curvature. More generally we construct such a metric with Scal>0 (and such surfaces) on any 3-manifold which carries a metric with Scal>0. In all but one of these examples the Hausdorff limit will be a singular minimal lamination. The singularities being in each case exactly two points lying on a closed leaf (the leaf is …
The construction of integer linking numbers of closed curves in a three-dimensional manifold usually appeals to the orientation of this manifold. We discuss how to avoid it constructing similar homotopy invariants of links in non-orientable manifolds.
Given a closed, oriented, connected 3-manifold, M, we define higher-order linking forms on the higher-order Alexander modules of M. These higher-order linking forms generalize similar linking forms for knots previously studied by the author, which were themselves generalizations of the classical Blanchfield linking form for a knot. We also investigate the effect of the construction known as "infection by a knot" on these linking forms.
We determine the Dehn surgeries on 2-bridge links, which yield reducible 3-manifolds. Further, we show the conditions that we obtain a torus or cable knot from one component of a 2-bridge link by a surgery on another component.
We study the effect of mutation on link concordance and 3-manifolds. We show that the set of links concordant to sublinks of homology boundary links is not closed under positive mutation. We show that mutation does not preserve homology cobordism classes of 3-manifolds. A significant consequence is that there exist 3-manifolds which have the same quantum SU(2)-invariants but are not homology cobordant. These results are obtained by investigating the effect of mutation on the Milnor invariants, or equivalently the Massey products.
We extend Turaev's definition of torsion invariants of 3-dimensional manifolds equipped with non-singular vector fields, by allowing (suitable) tangency circles to the boundary, and manifolds with non-zero Euler characteristic. We show that these invariants apply in particular to (the exterior of) Legendrian links in contact 3-manifolds. Our approach uses a combinatorial encoding of vector fields, based on standard spines. In this paper we extend this encoding from closed manifolds to manifolds with boundary.
M. Freedman and V. Krushkal introduced the notion of a "filling" link in a 3-manifold: a link $L$ is filling in $M$ if for any spine $G$ of $M$ disjoint from $L$, $π_1(G)$ injects into $π_1(M \setminus L )$. Freedman and Krushkal show that there exist links in the $3$-torus $T^3$ that satisfy a weaker form of filling, but they leave open the question of whether $T^3$ contains an actual filling link. We answer this question affirmatively by proving in fact that every closed, orientable 3-manifold $M$ with $\operatorname{rank}(π_1(M)) = 3$ contains a filling link.
In arxiv:1205.1274 Rieck and Yamashita defined the link volume of 3-manifolds and studied some of its basic properties. Many of these properties are similar to the corresponding properties of the hyperbolic volume. In this paper we calculate the link volume of an infinite family of prism manifolds. As a corollary, we show that (in contrast to the hyperbolic volume) the link volume is not finite-to-one.
We introduce a notion of symmetric Whitney tower cobordism between bordered 3-manifolds, aiming at the study of homology cobordism and link concordance. It is motivated by the symmetric Whitney tower approach to slicing knots and links initiated by Cochran, Orr, and Teichner. We give amenable Cheeger-Gromov rho-invariant obstructions to bordered 3-manifolds being Whitney tower cobordant. Our obstruction is related to and generalizes several prior known results, and also gives new interesting cases. As an application, our method applied to link exteriors reveals new structures on (Whitney tower…
We calculate the volume of the $7_3^2$ link cone-manifolds using the Schläfli formula. As an application, we give the volume of the cyclic coverings over the link.
We view closed orientable 3-manifolds as covers of S^3 branched over hyperbolic links. For a p-fold cover M \to S^3, branched over a hyperbolic link L, we assign the complexity p Vol(S^3 minus L) (where Vol is the hyperbolic volume). We define an invariant of 3-manifolds, called the link volume and denoted LV, that assigns to a 3-manifold M the infimum of the complexities of all possible covers M \to S^3, where the only constraint is that the branch set is a hyperbolic link. Thus the link volume measures how efficiently M can be represented as a cover of S^3. We study the basic properties of t…
It is shown that any closed three-manifold M obtained by integral surgery on a knot in the three-sphere can always be constructed from integral surgeries on a 3-component link L with each component being an unknot in the three-sphere. It is also interesting to notice that infinitely many different integral surgeries on the same link L could give the same three-manifold M.
We show that three natural decision problems about links and 3-manifolds are computationally hard, assuming some conjectures in complexity theory. The first problem is determining whether a link in the 3-sphere bounds a Seifert surface with Thurston norm at most a given integer; this is shown to be NP-complete. The second problem is the homeomorphism problem for closed 3-manifolds; this is shown to be at least as hard as the graph isomorphism problem. The third problem is determining whether a given link in the 3-sphere is a sublink of another given link; this is shown to be NP-hard.
Kirby proved that two framed links in S^3 give orientation-preserving homeomorphic results of surgery if and only if these two links are related by a sequence of two kinds of moves called stabilizations and handle-slides. Fenn and Rourke gave a necessary and sufficient condition for two framed links in a closed, oriented 3-manifold to be related by a finite sequence of these moves. The purpose of this paper is twofold. We first give a generalization of Fenn and Rourke's result to 3-manifolds with boundary. Then we apply this result to the case of framed links whose components are null-homotopi…
We consider surgery moves along (n+1)-component Brunnian links in compact connected oriented 3-manifolds, where the framing of the each component is 1/k for k in Z. We show that no finite type invariant of degree < 2n-2 can detect such a surgery move. The case of two link-homotopic Brunnian links is also considered. We relate finite type invariants of integral homology spheres obtained by such operations to Goussarov-Vassiliev invariants of Brunnian links.
We compute the $p$-primary components of the linking pairings of orientable 3-manifolds admitting a fixed-point free $S^1$-action. Using this, we show that any non-singular linking pairing on a finite abelian group with homogeneous 2-primary summand is realized by such a manifold. However, some pairings on inhomogeneous 2-groups are not realizable by any Seifert fibred 3-manifold.
It is shown that given any link-manifold, there is an algorithm to decide if the manifold contains an embedded, essential planar surface; if it does, the algorithm will construct one. If a slope on the boundary of the link-manifold is given, there is an algorithm to determine if the slope bounds an embedded punctured-disk; if a meridian slope is given, then it can be determined if a longitude bounds an embedded punctured-disk. The methods use normal surface theory but do not follow the classical approach. Properties of minimal vertex triangulations, layered-triangulations, 0--efficient triangu…
We prove that for any V>0, there exist a hyperbolic manifold M_V, so that Vol(M_V) < 2.03 and LinVol(M_V) > V. The proof requires study of cosmetic surgery on links (equivalently, fillings of manifolds with boundary tori). There is no bound on the number of components of the link (or boundary components). For statements, see the second part of the introduction. Here are two examples of the results we obtain: 1) Let K be a component of a link L in S^3. Then "most" slopes on K cannot be completed to a cosmetic surgery on L, unless K becomes a component of a Hopf link. 2) Let X be a manifold and …
Let $M$ be a compact hyperbolic $3$-manifold with volume $V$. Let $L$ be a link such that $M\setminus L$ is hyperbolic. For any hyperbolic link $L$ in $M$, in this article, we try to establish an upper bound of the length of $n^{th}$ shortest closed geodesic of $M\setminus L$ in terms of $V$.
In the prequel of this paper, Kauffman and Ogasa introduced new topological quantum invariants of compact oriented 3-manifolds with boundary where the boundary is a disjoint union of two identical surfaces. The invariants are constructed via surgery on manifolds of the form $F \times I$ where $I$ denotes the unit interval. Since virtual knots and links are represented as links in such thickened surfaces, we are able also to construct invariants in terms of virtual link diagrams (planar diagrams with virtual crossings). These invariants are new, nontrivial, and calculable examples of quantum in…
Fintushel-Stern's knot surgery gave many pairs of exotic manifolds, which are homeomorphic but non-diffeomorphic. We show that if an elliptic fibration has two parallel, oppositely oriented vanishing circles (for example $S^2\times S^2$ or Matsumoto's $S^4$), then the knot surgery gives rise to standard manifolds. The diffeomorphism can give an alternative proof that Scharlemann's manifold is standard (originally by Akbulut [Ak1]).
It is known by A. Loi and R. Piergallini that a closed, oriented, smooth 3-manifold is Stein fillable if and only if it has a positive open book decomposition. In the present paper we will show that for every link L in a Stein fillable 3-manifold there exists an additional knot L' to L such that the union of the links L and L' is the binding of a positive open book decomposition of the Stein fillable 3-manifold. To prove the assertion, we will use the divide, which is a generalization of real morsification theory of complex plane curve singularities, and 2-handle attachings along Legendrian cu…
We give a simple axiomatic definition of a rational-valued invariant s(W,V,e) of triples (W,V,e), where W is a (smooth, oriented, closed) 6-manifold and V is a 3-submanifold of W, and where e is a second rational cohomology class of the complement of V satisfying a certain condition. The definition is stated in terms of cobordisms of such triples and the signature of 4-manifolds. When W = S^6 and V is a smoothly embedded 3-sphere, and when e/2 is the Poincare dual of a Seifert surface of V, the invariant coincides with -8 times Haefliger's embedding invariant of (S^6,V). Our definition recover…
Knots and links in 3-manifolds are studied by applying intersection invariants to singular concordances. The resulting link invariants generalize the Arf invariant, the mod 2 Sato-Levine invariants, and Milnor's triple linking numbers. Besides fitting into a general theory of Whitney towers, these invariants provide obstructions to the existence of a singular concordance which can be homotoped to an embedding after stabilization by connected sums with $S^2\times S^2$. Results include classifications of stably slice links in orientable 3-manifolds, stable knot concordance in products of an orie…
We prove that two closed oriented 3-manifolds have isomorphic quintuplets (homology, space of spin structures, linking pairing, cohomology rings, Rochlin function) if, and only if, they belong to the same class of a certain surgery equivalence relation introduced by Goussarov and Habiro.
We show that only finitely many links in a closed 3-manifold share the same complement, up to twists along discs and annuli. Using the same techniques, we prove that by adding 2-handles on the same link we get only finitely many smooth cobordisms between two given closed 3-manifolds. As a consequence, there are finitely many smooth closed 4-manifolds constructed from some Kirby diagram with bounded number of crossings, discs, and strands, or from some Turaev special shadow with bounded number of vertices. (These are the 4-dimensional analogues of Heegaard diagrams and special spines for 3-mani…
Let $M$ be a compact hyperbolic $3$-manifold with volume $V$. Let $L$ be a link such that $M\setminus L$ is hyperbolic. For any hyperbolic link $L$ in $M$, in this article, we establish an upper bound of the length of an $n^{th}$ shortest closed geodesic as a logarithmic function of $V$ in $M\setminus L$. Our works complement the work of Lakeland and Leininger \cite{Christopher} on the upper bound of systole length.
Let $M$ be a connected, closed, oriented three-manifold and $K$, $L$ two rationally null-homologous oriented simple closed curves in $M$. We give an explicit algorithm for computing the linking number between $K$ and $L$ in terms of a presentation of $M$ as an irregular dihedral $3$-fold cover of $S^3$ branched along a knot $α\subset S^3$. Since every closed, oriented three-manifold admits such a presentation, our results apply to all (well-defined) linking numbers in all three-manifolds. Furthermore, ribbon obstructions for a knot $α$ can be derived from dihedral covers of $α$. The linking nu…
