Artin presentations, triangle groups, and 4-manifolds (Q2116821)

An Artin presentation is a group presentation \(r=\langle x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n \, \vert \, r_1,r_2,\dots,r_n\rangle\) such that the relation \(x_1x_2\cdots x_n=(r_1^{-1}x_1r_1)(r_2^{-1}x_2r_2)\cdots(r_n^{-1}x_nr_n)\) holds in the free group \(F_n=\langle x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n\rangle\). \textit{F. González-Acuña} [Open Books, Lecture Notes, University of Iowa (1975), \url{https://www2.oberlin.edu/faculty/jcalcut/ga.pdf}] showed that a group \(G\) is the fundamental group of a closed, connected, orientable 3-manifold if and only if \(G\) admits an Artin presentation \(r\) for some \(n\). So, an Artin presentation determines a closed, orientable 3-manifold \(M^3(r)\), and \textit{H. E. Winkelnkemper} [J. Knot Theory Ramifications 11, No. 2, 223--275 (2002; Zbl 0994.57026)] observed that it determines also a smooth, compact, simply connected 4-manifold \(W^4(r)\) such that \(\partial W^4(r)=M^3(r)\). If \(M^3(r)\) is the 3-sphere, then one can consider the 4-manifold \(X^4(r)=W^4(r)\cup_{\partial} D^4\), obtained by closing up \(W^4(r)\) with a 4-handle. In this paper, by using triangle groups, all Artin presentations with \(n=2\) that produce the trivial group are determined. Then all closed 4-manifolds \(X^4(r)\) that come from an Artin presentation with \(n\leq 2\) are given, these are \(S^4\) for \(n=0\), \(\mathbb{C}P^2\) and \(\overline{\mathbb{C}P^2}\) for \(n=1\), and \(\mathbb{C}P^2 \# \mathbb{C}P^2\), \(\mathbb{C}P^2 \# \overline{\mathbb{C}P^2}\), \(\overline{\mathbb{C}P^2} \# \overline{\mathbb{C}P^2}\), and \(S^2\times S^2\) for \(n=2\).