Search arXiv⌕ Search

arXiv · math/0301356

The compression theorem III: applications

Abstract

This is the third of three papers about the Compression Theorem: if M^m is embedded in Q^q X R with a normal vector field and if q-m > 0, then the given vector field can be straightened (ie, made parallel to the given R direction) by an isotopy of M and normal field in Q X R. The theorem can be deduced from Gromov's theorem on directed embeddings [M Gromov, Partial differential relations, Springer--Verlag (1986) 2.4.5 C'] and the first two parts (math.GT/9712235 and math.GT/0003026) gave proofs. Here we are concerned with applications. We give short new (and constructive) proofs for immersion theory and for the loops--suspension theorem of James et al and a new approach to classifying embeddings of manifolds in codimension one or more, which leads to theoretical solutions. We also consider the general problem of controlling the singularities of a smooth projection up to C^0--small isotopy and give a theoretical solution in the codimension > 0 case.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Colin Rourke, Brian Sanderson. 2003-09-25. The compression theorem III: applications. https://doi.org/10.2140/agt.2003.3.857

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Links and singularities of stable maps from $3$-manifolds to surfaces

For any two links in the $3$-sphere, we provide a visual construction of a stable map $f$ from the $3$-sphere to the Euclidean plane such that $f$ has no cusp points, the set of definite (resp. indefinite) fold points of $f$ is isotopic to the first (resp. second) given link, and $f$ does not have a certain type of singular fibers. Moreover, we obtain a similar result for any $3$-manifold by setting the target space to the $2$-sphere.

math.GT↗

The Smoothability of Embedded Surfaces in 4-Manifolds Under Stabilizations

We study the smooth stabilization number of a locally flat embedded surface in a smooth $4$-manifold, defined as the minimum number of connected sums with $S^2\times S^2$ needed to make the surface topologically isotopic to a smooth embedding. We prove that a nonsmoothable locally flat surface in a closed, simply connected smooth $4$-manifold becomes smoothable after a single stabilization if its homology class is primitive and noncharacteristic and its complement has abelian fundamental group. This yields infinitely many examples of nonsmoothable surfaces with smooth stabilization number one. We also exhibit examples for which a single stabilization produces infinitely many pairwise smoothly nonisotopic representatives in the same topological isotopy class. In contrast, we construct a locally flat genus-eight surface representing $6h$ in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ whose smooth stabilization number is exactly two. More generally, we show that smooth stabilization numbers of locally flat embedded surfaces in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ are unbounded.

math.GT↗

Sections, pseudosections, and multisections of Lefschetz fibrations

We show that not every symplectic Lefschetz fibration over the $2$--sphere admits a smooth section, settling a long-standing open problem. To prove this, we develop a method for studying sections via lifts of monodromy factorizations with point-pushing maps and the induced handle decomposition of the total space, and apply it to an infinite family of Lefschetz fibrations. In contrast, we show that every Lefschetz fibration over $S^2$ admits positive multisections. Some of these examples admit no multisections with spherical components. We also construct signature-zero Lefschetz fibrations of every odd genus $g\geq 7$, which in turn give symplectic Lefschetz fibrations of any prescribed signature in each of these genera.

math.GT↗