The existence of homologically fibered links and solutions of some equations (Q2230901)

A homologically fibered knot or link is a generalization of fibered knot or link. It is known that the existence of a homologically fibered link whose fiber is a given homeomorphism type in a closed orientable \(3\)-manifold \(M\) depends on the first homology group of \(M\) with its torsion linking form. A link \(L\) in \(M\) is said to be homologically fibered if it bounds a Seifert surface \(F\) such that the resulting manifold cut along \(F\) is a homology cobordism over \(F\). In this case, \(F\) is called a homological fiber of \(L\). In particular, an ordinary fibered link is homologically fibered. For a Seifert surface \(F\) to be a homological fiber, it is enough to check that the push-offs of a basis of \(H_1(F)\) form a free basis of the first homology group of the manifold cut along \(F\). The main result of the paper under review is to give a necessary and sufficient condition for a closed oriented \(3\)-manifold \(M\) to admit a homologically fibered link whose homological fiber is a given type of surface, as an equation in terms of the first homology group and its torsion linking form of \(M\). Another interpretation of the condition is also given by using a surgery diagram of \(M\). In general, it is hard to solve the above equation, but the last part of the paper examines a few cases where torsion linking forms are of some types, and determines the minimal genus of homological fiber.