Classification of the simplest non-gradient-like diffeomorphisms on 3-manifolds (Q2487420)

The authors embark on the classification of orientation preserving Morse-Smale diffeomorphisms of closed 3-manifolds in the presence of heteroclinic orbits, up to topological conjugacy. The cases handled here comprise non-gradient-like Morse-Smale diffeomorphisms with a nonwandering set of exactly six points and without heteroclinic curves. In this situation, the manifold has to be one of \(S^3\), \(S^2\times S^1\), or \(S^2\times S^2\times S^1\sharp S^2\times S^1\). The classification is done by a scheme of four geometric invariants, similar to the case of gradient-like diffeomorphisms studied before by the first two authors, \textit{V. Medvedev} and \textit{E. Pécou} [Topology 43, 369--391 (2004; Zbl 1056.37023)].