Geometrization of 3-dimensional Coxeter orbifolds and Singer's conjecture (Q1027765): Difference between revisions

An \(n\)-dimensional Coxeter orbifold \(K_L\) arises as the quotient space of the Davis complex of a Coxeter system in the case when the nerve \(L\) of the system is a triangulation of the \((n-1)\)-sphere. The characteristic suborbifold of a 3-dimensional Coxeter orbifold \(K\) is the minimal (possibly disconnected) suborbifold that contains all the Euclidean suborbifolds of \(K\) (that is, its complement is atoroidal). In this paper, the author proves a result that is analogous to the JSJ-decomposition for 3-dimensional manifolds (the case of spherical Coxeter orbifolds is excluded): For any closed, irreducible 3-dimensional Coxeter orbifold \(K\), there is a unique minimal collection of Euclidean suborbifolds of \(K\) forming the boundary of the characteristic suborbifold of \(K\). Guiding the main result of the paper is \textit{E. M. Andreev}'s Theorem [Math. USSR, Sb. 12(1970), 255--259 (1971; Zbl 0252.52005)], which gives necessary and sufficient conditions for an abstract 3-polytope, all of whose edges have been assigned an integer submultiple of \(\pi\), to be realized as a finite-volume convex polytope in \(\mathbb H^3\). In the case of a 3-dimensional Coxeter orbifold \(K_L\) corresponding to a metric flag triangulation of the nerve \(L\) of a Coxeter system, the author interprets the conditions of Andreev's Theorem as yielding configurations of \(L\) that correspond to certain suborbifolds of \(K_L\). These configurations are used to determine which subcomplexes of \(L\) define the components of the characteristic suborbifold of \(K_L\). As an application, a 3-dimensional version of Singer's conjecture is proved: If the nerve \(L\) of a Coxeter system is a metric flag triangulation of the 2-sphere, then the reduced \(\ell^2\)-homology of the Davis complex \(\Sigma_L\) of the system vanishes.