Homology category of 3-manifolds (Q1304875)

Let \(F\) be a functor from the category Top of topological spaces to any category C. Let \(X\) be a topological space. We say that a subset \(U\) of \(X\) is \(F\)-contractible (in \(X\)) if \(F(i):F(U)\to F(X)\) is constant where \(i:U\to X \) is the inclusion. We define cat\(_F(X)\) as the smallest \(n\) such that \(X\) can be covered by \(n\) sets, open and \(F\)-contractible in \(X\). If no such integer exists, then cat\(_F(X)=\infty \). The authors consider the functor \(H_1:\text{Top}\to \text{Ab}\) where \(H_1\) associates to a space its first singular homology group with integral coefficients, and Ab is the category of Abelian groups. Then for a closed orientable 3-manifold \(M^3\) the number cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)\) belongs to the set \(\{ 1,2,3,4 \}\). It is obvious that cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)=1 \) if and only if \(M^3\) is an integral homology sphere. In this paper the authors find out when cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)=2\) and when cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)=3\). They also give surgical characterizations of the manifolds \(M^3\) with cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)=m\). They prove that the manifolds \(M^3\) with cat\(_{H_1}(M^3)=2\) are those obtained by longitudinal surgery on a boundary link. Also, if \(L\) is a link in a homology sphere with all linking numbers equal to zero, cat\(_H{_1}(M^3)=2\) iff \(L\) is a homology boundary link, and \(1<\text{ cat}_H{_1}M(L)\leq 3\) iff all Milnor \(\mu\)-invariants \(\mu (i,j,k)\) of weight three of \(L\) vanish.