Open \(3\)-manifolds, wild subsets of \(S^ 3\) and branched coverings. (Q1432793)

In a previous paper by the same author [Rev. Mat. Complut. 15, No.2, 533--542 (2002; Zbl 1023.57002)], the well-known Hilden-Hirsch-Montesinos representation theorem of closed orientable 3-manifolds as simple 3-fold branched coverings of \(S^3\) was extended to represent the Freudenthal compactification \(\widehat M\) of any connected 3-manifold \(M\) by allowing wild branch sets in \(S^3\). Moreover, certain conditions on \(M\) were given in order for \(\widehat M\) to be a 2-fold branched covering of \(S^3\). Here, the author illustrates the above-mentioned results by considering some examples where the branch set is a knot \(K \subset S^3\) with only one wild point \(p \in K\). In this case, by restriction over \(S^3 - \{p\}\), we obtain a covering \(M \to \mathbb{R}^3\) branched over a properly embedded tame string. In particular, the author shows that the (essentially unique) irregular 3-fold simple covering of \(S^3\) branched over \textit{R. H. Fox'} ``remarkable simple closed curve'' [Ann. Math. (2) 50, 264--265 (1949; Zbl 0033.13603)] represents \(S^3\). As a consequence, any closed orientable 3-manifold is a 3-fold covering of \(S^3\) branched over a wild knot. Moreover, the author provides a representation of \textit{J. H. C. Whitehead}'s manifold [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 21, 364-366 (1935; Zbl 0012.03604)] as a 2-fold covering of \(\mathbb{R}^3\). Actually, an analogous representation is proved to exist for any open 3-manifold \(M\) which can be obtained by pasting infinitely many two-component strongly-invertible link exteriors.