Rank gradients of infinite cyclic covers of 3-manifolds (Q2449621)

Let \(M\) be a \(3\)-manifold with no spherical boundary, and \(\phi\in H^1(M;\mathbb{Z})\) be a primitive class, then the pair \((M,\phi)\) is called a directed \(3\)-manifold. If \((M,\phi)\) fibers over \(S^1\), then \(\phi\) is called a fibered class. A classical result of Stallings states that \(\phi\) is a fibered class if and only if \(Ker(\phi: \pi_1(M)\rightarrow \mathbb{Z})\) is finitely generated. In the present paper, the authors prove the following: Given a \(3\)-manifold \(M\) with no spherical boundary components, and a primitive class \(\phi \in H^1 (M; \mathbb{Z})\), then the following are equivalent: (1) \(\phi\) is a fibered class, (2) the rank gradient of \((M,\phi)\) is zero, (3) the Heegaard gradient of \((M,\phi)\) is zero. And as a generalisation of Stallings' result, they prove the following: (1) If \((M,\phi)\) is a nonfibered directed \(3\)-manifold, then \(Ker(\phi)\) admits a finite index subgroup with infinite normal rank. (2) There exists a nonfibered directed \(3\)-manifold \((M,\phi)\) such that \(Ker(\phi)\) has finite normal rank.