Surfaces that become isotopic after Dehn filling (Q2515008)

Let \(M\) be a compact, orientable, irreducible \(3\)--manifold with a torus boundary component \(T\), and \(M(\alpha)\) the resulting \(3\)--manifold obtained from \(M\) by Dehn filling along a slope \(\alpha\) on \(T\). A closed essential surface \(F\) in \(M\) may be compressible in \(M(\alpha)\) for some slope \(\alpha\). This situation was studied in detail in [\textit{M. Culler} et al., Ann. Math. (2) 125, 237--300 (1987; Zbl 0633.57006)] and [\textit{Y.-Q. Wu}, Topology 31, No. 2, 271--279 (1992; Zbl 0872.57022)], and it is shown that there are at most three such slopes except when \(M\) contains an essential annulus running between \(F\) and \(T\). On the other hand, since \(M\) may contain infinitely many essential surfaces, it is interesting to describe slopes \(\alpha\) such that ``every'' essential surface in \(M\) remains incompressible in \(M(\alpha)\), and two non-isotopic closed surfaces remain non-isotopic in \(M(\alpha)\). In the paper under review the authors answer this question. Let \(M\) be a \(3\)--manifold as above. Then they prove the existence of a finite set of slopes \(\Omega\) on \(T\) such that for any slope \(\alpha\) on \(T\) intersecting every slope in \(\Omega\) at least twice, every essential surface \(F\) in \(M\) cannot become compressible in \(M(\alpha)\) and cannot become isotopic to any other (essential or peripheral) surface in \(M(\alpha)\). In other words, for such slopes \(\alpha\) on \(T\), there is a bijection between the set of closed, essential surfaces of \(M\) and the set of closed, essential surfaces of \(M(\alpha)\), where the elements of each set are considered unique up to isotopy.