On universal groups and three-manifolds (Q1819417)

Let P be a regular dodecahedron in the hyperbolic 3-space \(H^ 3\) with the dihedral angles \(90^ o\). Choose 6 mutually disjoint edges \(E_ 1,...,E_ 6\) of P such that each face of P intersects \(E_ 1\cup E_ 2\cup...\cup E_ 6\) in one edge and the opposite vertex. Let U be the group of orientation-preserving isometries of \(H^ 3\) generated by \(90^ o\)-rotations about \(E_ 1,...,E_ 6\). It was observed by W. Thurston that \(H^ 3/U=S^ 3\) and that the projection \(H^ 3\to H^ 3/U\) is a covering branched over the Borromean rings with branching indices 4. The main result of the paper is the following universality of U. Theorem. For every closed, oriented 3-manifold M there exists a subgroup G of U of finite index such that \(M=H^ 3/G\). In other words M is a hyperbolic orbifold finitely covering the hyperbolic orbifold \(H^ 3/U\). The main ingredient of the proof is the strict form of the (earlier obtained by the first three authors) universality of the Borromean rings: each closed, oriented 3-manifold is shown to be a covering of \(S^ 3\) branched over the Borromean rings with indices 1,2,4. This theorem offers a new approch to the Poincaré conjecture: if \(M=H^ 3/G\) as above and \(\pi_ 1(M)=1\) then G is generated by elements of finite order. The authors start off an algebraic investigation of \(U\subset PSL_ 2({\mathbb{C}})\) by constructing 3 generators of U which are \(2\times 2\)-matrices over the ring of algebraic integers in the field \({\mathbb{Q}}(\sqrt{2}, \sqrt{3}, \sqrt{1+\sqrt{5}}, \sqrt{-1})\).