Taut foliations in surface bundles with multiple boundary components (Q2346658)

Let \(M\) be a compact, orientable \(3\)-manifold with boundary consisting of multiple tori \(T_1,\ldots,T_k\). Assume that \(M\) fibers over the circle, then one can use the fibration to define coordinates on the boundary tori by declaring a longitude to be the intersection of a fiber with the boundary component. Then one says that a codimension one foliation \({\mathcal F}\) realizes a boundary multislope \((m_1,\ldots,m_k)\) if \({\mathcal F}\cap T_i\) is the linear foliation of slope \(m_i\) (in the chosen coordinates) for \(i=1,\ldots,k\). The paper under review proves that each fibration with fiber of positive genus can be modified to yield transversely oriented taut foliations realizing a neighborhood of rational boundary multislopes about the boundary multislope of the fibration. The proof uses ideas from the theory of laminations. Using results about the realizability of branched surfaces by laminations it is first proved that there exist laminations with the given boundary multislope. It then turns out that such a lamination has no compact leaves and that its complementary regions are products. So the lamination actually extends to a foliation, which is taut because all leaves are noncompact.