SPIN structures and codimension-two homeomorphism extensions (Q2391606)

If \(M\) is a connected, oriented closed \(p\)-dimensional smooth manifold and \(i:M\to \mathbb R^{p+2}\) a smooth, PL or topological embedding, then MCG\(_{\mathcal{C}}(M) = \pi_0\)Homeo\(_{\mathcal{C}}^+(M)\) denotes the group of \(\mathcal{C}\)-isotopy classes of orientation-preserving \(\mathcal{C}\)-homeomorphisms on \(M\), where \(\mathcal{C}\) denotes one of the mentioned categories. Now, one can ask within the considered category the following homeomorphism extension question. For a given embedding \(i:M\to \mathbb R^{p+2}\) and homeomorphism \(\tau:M\to M\) is there orientation preserving homeomorphism \(\tilde{\tau}:\mathbb R^{p+2}\to \mathbb R^{p+2}\) such that \(i\circ \tau = \tilde{\tau} \circ i.\) Then the class \([\tau ]\in\) MCG\(_{\mathcal{C}}(M)\) is called \(\mathcal{C}\)-extendable over \(i\). Such classes define the \(\mathcal{C}\)-extendable subgroup \(\mathcal{E}_\mathcal{C}(i)\) of MCG\(_\mathcal{C} (M)\). The paper asks: what is the index of \(\mathcal{E}_{\mathcal{C}}(i) \leq\) MCG\(_\mathcal{C} (M)\)? To achieve this let \(\varsigma^{p+2}\) be the canonical spin structure on \(\mathbb R^{p+2}\). Using Seifert hypersurfaces, the authors develop an invariant-induced spin structure \(i^*(\varsigma^{p+2})\) on \(M\) that is canonically induced from the embedding \(i:M\to \mathbb R^{p+2}\). All this is used to determine an index lower bound when \(M\) is a \(p\)-dimensional torus \(T^p\) or a closed-orientable surface. The index lower bound for \(T^p\), under an additional condition on \(i^*(\varsigma^{p+2})\) is \( \geq 2^p-1.\)