Codimension one foliations with Bott-Morse singularities. I. (Q1036202)

The authors prove the following theorem: Let \(\mathcal F\) be a foliation on a manifold \(M^m\) having Bott-Morse singularities and let \(N^n\subset\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\) be a (compact) component with finite holonomy group. Then there exists a neighbourhood \(W\) of \(N\) in \(M\) where \(\mathcal F\) is given by a Bott-Morse function \(f:W\to\mathbb R\). If, moreover, the transverse type of \(\mathcal F\) along \(N\) is stable then leaves of \(\mathcal F\) in \(W\), for suitable choice of \(W\), are fiber bundles over \(N\) with fiber \(S^{m-n-1}\). Using this theorem they prove the main theorem of the paper: Let \(\mathcal F\) be a foliation with Bott-Morse singularities on a closed oriented manifold \(M\) of dimension \(m\geq 3\) having only center type components in \(\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\). Assume that \(\mathcal F\) has a compact leaf \(L_0\) with finite fundamental group or there is a codimension \(\geq 3\) component \(N\) of \(\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\) with finite fundamental group. Then all leaves of \(\mathcal F\) are compact, stable, with finite fundamental group. If, moreover, \(\mathcal F\) is transversely orientable then \(\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\) has exactly two components and there is a differentiable Bott-Morse function \(f:M\to\left[0;1\right]\) whose critical values are \(\{0,1\}\) and such that \(f|M\setminus\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right):M\setminus\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\to\left(0;1\right)\) is a fiber bundle defining \(\mathcal F\). This theorem and its proof lead to the following theorem: Let \(\mathcal F\) be a transversely oriented, compact foliation with Bott-Morse singularities on a closed, oriented, connected manifold \(M^m\), \(m\geq 3\), with non-empty singular set \(\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\). Let \(L\) be a leaf of \(\mathcal F\). Then \(\text{sing}\left(\mathcal F\right)\) has two connected components \(N_1,N_2\), both of center type, and one has: (i) \(M\setminus\left( N_1\cup N_2\right)\) is diffeomorphic to the cylinder \(L\times\left( 0;1\right)\). (ii) \(L\) is a sphere fiber bundle over both manifolds \(N_1,N_2\) and \(M\) is diffeomorphic to the union of the corresponding disc bundles over \(N_1,N_2\) glued together along their common boundary \(L\) by some diffeomorphism \(L\to L\). (iii) In fact one has a double-fibration \[ \pi _1:L \to N_1\;\;\text{,}\;\;\pi _2:L\to N_2\;\text{,} \] and \(M\) is homeomorphic to the corresponding mapping cylinder, i.e., to the quotient space of \[ \left(L\times\left[ 0;1\right]\right)\cup\left(N_1\cup N_2\right) \] by the identifications \(\left( x,0\right)\thicksim\pi _1\left(x\right)\) and \(\left(x,1\right)\thicksim\pi _2\left( x\right)\).