The triple-point spectrum of closed orientable 3-manifolds (Q2424113)

Let \(M\) be an orientable, closed \(3\)-manifold. A filling Dehn \(g\)-torus in \(M\) is a genus \(g\) surface \(S\) together with a general position immersion \(f: S\rightarrow M\) such that \(M\) has a cell structure with the set of triple-points as \(0\)-skeleton, the set of double points as \(1\)-skeleton and \(\Sigma=f(S)\) as \(2\)-skeleton. Here a double (triple) point is, as usual, a point where two (three) sheets of \(\Sigma\) intersect transversely, and no more than three sheets can intersect by general position. The genus \(g\) triple point number of \(M\), \(t_g(M)\), is the minimal number of triple points of a filling Dehn \(g\)-torus in \(M\). These numbers are embraced in the triple point spectrum \[ \mathscr{T}(M)=(t_0(M), t_1(M), t_2(M), \ldots) \] introduced by the second author in earlier work [\textit{R. Vigara}, Fundam. Math. 190, 245--288 (2006; Zbl 1100.57023)], with the number \(t_0(M)\) being known as the Montesinos complexity of \(M\). The present paper studies basic properties of the triple point spectrum and achieves the first two complete computations of triple point spectra. Firstly, \[ \mathscr{T}(\mathrm{S}^1\times \mathrm{S}^2)=(2, 1, 3, 5,\ldots, 2g-1, \ldots)\,. \] This is proved as Theorem 3.9, where the upper bound follows by a surgery technique called handle piping, and the lower bound is achieved via simple Euler characteristic arguments. Secondly, \[ \mathscr{T}(\mathrm{S}^3)=(2, 4, 6, 8,\ldots, 2g+2, \ldots)\,. \] This result, proved as Corollary 5.7, is more subtle. It uses a presentation of the first homology of a Dehn surface, proved as Theorem 4.7, which may be of independent general interest (together with a similar result for the fundamental group in Theorem 4.5) together with checkerboard techniques to determine the parity of the triple point number and, again, handle piping.