Mom technology and volumes of hyperbolic 3-manifolds (Q620543)

A compact manifold whose boundary is a union of tori has a Mom-\(n\) structure or is a Mom-\(n\) manifold if it admits a handle decomposition with \(n\) \(1\)-handles and \(n\) \(2\)-handles satisfying certain extra properties. A Mom-\(n\) manifold is hyperbolic if its interior admits a complete hyperbolic structure of finite volume. Conjecturally, hyperbolic manifolds of small volume are obtained via Dehn surgery on hyperbolic Mom-\(n\) manifolds with small \(n\) and this idea has already been exploited by the same authors in [J. Am. Math. Soc. 22, 1157--1215 (2009; Zbl 1204.57013)] to prove that the Weeks manifold is the unique orientable hyperbolic manifold of minimal volume. In the paper under review, the authors discuss different properties of Mom-\(n\) manifolds and classify all hyperbolic Mom-\(n\) manifolds for \(n\leq 3\). A list of all potential hyperbolic Mom-\(4\) manifolds is also established: Among the 138 manifolds of the list three are hyperbolic Mom-\(2\), 18 are hyperbolic Mom-\(3\), 83 are hyperbolic Mom-\(4\), and the other 34 cases remain undecided. After obtaining a combinatorial description of Mom structures, the authors carry out a computer based enumeration of Mom-\(n\) manifolds for \(n\leq 4\). A careful use of J. Weeks' SnapPea is then made to determine whether the Mom manifolds are hyperbolic. After getting familiarised with the basic definitions given in the first two sections, the reader might want to check the examples of Mom structures discussed in the last section of the paper, before delving into the more technical central part.