\(3\)-manifolds admitting locally large distance \(2\) Heegaard splittings (Q2280302)

This paper introduces locally largeness for Heegaard splittings of (Hempel) distance two, and proves that if a closed orientable 3-manifold admits such a splitting, then the manifold is hyperbolic or is an amalgamation of a hyperbolic manifold and a small Seifert fibered space. It is known that a 3-manifold is hyperbolic if it admits a Heegaard splitting of distance at least three. Hence the authors focus on Heegaard splittings of distance two in this paper. Let \(S\) be a Heegaard surface of distance two. Then by definition (cf. [\textit{J. Hempel}, Topology 40, No. 3, 631--657 (2001; Zbl 0985.57014)]) there is a length two geodesic, say \(\mathcal{G}=( [\alpha], [\gamma], [\beta] )\), realizing Heegaard distance in the curve complex of \(S\), i.e., \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) are curves bounding essential disks on opposite sides of \(S\). The geodesic \(\mathcal{G}\) is said to be locally large if the distance between \([\alpha']\) and \([\beta']\) is at least eleven in the curve complex of \(S\setminus \gamma\) for any other geodesic \(( [\alpha'], [\gamma], [\beta'] )\) realizing Heegaard distance. A Heegaard splitting is said to be locally large if there is a locally large geodesic realizing Heegaard distance. The main theorem of this paper states that if a closed orientable 3-manifold admits a locally large Heegaard splitting of distance two, then the manifold is hyperbolic or an amalgamation of a hyperbolic manifold and a small Seifert fibered space. The authors also give a necessary and sufficient condition for a closed 3-manifold satisfying such an assumption to be hyperbolic.