The maximal number of exceptional Dehn surgeries (Q1941069)

Let \(M\) be a compact orientable \(3\)-manifold with boundary a torus and with interior admitting a complete finite-volume hyperbolic structure. Let \(s\) be a slope on the boundary, then \(M(s)\) is the manifold obtained by Dehn filling \(M\) along \(s\). Thurston showed that \(M(s)\) admits a hyperbolic structure for all but finitely many slopes, called \textit{exceptional}. In this paper the authors prove that the maximal number of exceptional slopes on the boundary of such a manifold is \(10\) and that the intersection number between two exceptional slopes is at most \(8\). Both these statements were conjectured by \textit{C. McA. Gordon} [Banach Cent. Publ. 42, 129--144 (1998; Zbl 0916.57016)]. The proof of both the results divides in two cases. First the authors consider the list of Mom-\(2\) and Mom-\(3\) manifolds that are not obtained by filling the manifold \(s776\). The notation follows the census of hyperbolic \(3\)-manifolds in [\textit{P. J. Callahan, M. V. Hildebrand} and \textit{J. R. Weeks}, Math. Comput. 68, No. 225, 321--332, microfiche suppl. (1999; Zbl 0910.57006)]. If \(M\) is obtained by filling one of the manifold in the previous list the procedure is assisted by the computer program Snap [\textit{O. Goodman}, Snap, \url{http://www.ms.unimelb.edu.au/~snap/}] which computes hyperbolic structures on \(3\)-manifolds. Otherwise the proof relies on an extension of the \(6\)-Theorem by \textit{I. Agol} [Geom. Topol. 4, 431--449 (2000; Zbl 0959.57009)] and \textit{M. Lackenby} [Invent. Math. 140, No.~2, 243--282 (2000; Zbl 0947.57016)]. More precisely, the \(6\)-Theorem asserts that if the length of the slope is at least \(6\) then the related Dehn filling is hyperbolic. In the paper the authors improve the critical slope length estimate using a parameter, which is related to the inverse image in the \(3\)-dimensional hyperbolic space of a maximal horoball neighbourhood of the cusp of the manifold. They show that when this parameter increases the critical slope length decreases to zero.