A family of freely slice good boundary links (Q2308323)

This paper shows that every good boundary link with a pair of derivative links on a Seifert surface satisfying a homotopically trivial\(^+\) assumption is freely slice, subsuming all previously known methods for freely slicing good boundary links with two or more components, providing new freely slice links, and raising the following questions: ``(1) Is there a link that is not homotopically trivial\(^+\) in the sense of \textit{M. H. Freedman} and \textit{P. Teichner} [Invent. Math. 122, No. 3, 531--557 (1995; Zbl 0857.57018)], but whose Whitehead double admits a homotopically trivial\(^+\) good basis? (2) Does every good boundary link have a homotopically trivial\(^+\) good basis?'' The authors observe that as a consequence of their work, if question (2) has an affirmative answer, then topological surgery would work in dimension 4 for arbitrary fundamental groups, suggesting, however, that a Whitehead double of the Borromean rings might provide a counterexample.