Non-singular graph-manifolds of dimension 4 (Q2571376)

As it is well known, \textit{F. Waldhausen}'s graph manifolds are orientable 3-manifolds which can be obtained by gluing Seifert manifolds -- called \textit{blocks} -- along homeomorphisms of their boundary tori [see Invent. Math. 3, 308--333; 4, 87--117 (1967; Zbl 0168.44503)]. The present paper is devoted to the introduction and study of a class of smooth four 4-manifolds generalizing three-dimensional graph-manifolds and having fundamental group of exponential growth. A compact 4-dimensional manifold is a non singular graph manifold if it can be obtained by gluing via boundary diffeomorphisms \(T^2\)-bundles over compact surfaces (possibly with boundary) of negative Euler characteristic. A graph manifold structure is said to be reduced if none of the glueing maps is isotopic to a fiber-preserving map of \(T^2\)-bundles. The main result of the present paper states that any homotopy equivalence between non-singular graph-manifolds with reduced graph-structures is homotopic to a diffeomorphism preserving the structures.