On doubled 3-manifolds and minimal handle presentations for 4-manifolds (Q416774)

The free reduction problem for 2-complexes \(K\) in 4-manifolds \(N\) is the problem of effecting, by a geometric deformation of \(K\) in \(N\), the free reduction of the relator words in the presentation associated with \(K\). The author extends his previous work [\textit{R. Craggs}, Topology Appl. 49, No. 1, 15--53 (1993; Zbl 0782.57003)] on the subject, revisiting the free reduction problem in the context of 2-handle presentations (2-spines) of 4-manifolds with boundary \(2M_{*}\). Let \(M\) be a 3-manifold and let \(M_{*}\) be the complement of the interior of a closed 3-ball in \(M\). Let \(2M_{*}\) be the connected sum of two copies of \(M\), via a boundary identification allowing the identification of \(2M_{*}\) with the boundary \({\roman {Bd}}(M_{*} \times [ - 1, 1])\). (By the way, it follows from the reviewer's formula in [\textit{S. Lawrencenko}, J. Commun. Comput. 9, No. 10, 1124--1129 (2012; Zbl 1257.05072)] that for each nonnegative integer \(k \leq 3\) we have \({\roman {rank}}\, H_k (2 M_{*}) = {\roman {rank}}\, H_k (M_{*}) + {\roman {rank}}\, H_{3-k} (M_{*})\) with rational coefficients.) In the paper under review it is shown that algebraic handle cancellation associated with a 2-handle presentation of a 4-manifold with boundary \(2M_{*}\) can be turned into geometric handle cancellation for handle presentations of possibly different 4-manifolds having the same boundary provided that certain obstruction conditions are satisfied. Those conditions are identified as surgery equivalence classes of framed links in \({\roman {Bd}}(M_{*} \times [ - 1, 1])\). Those links, without the framing information, were considered in the author's previous paper (cited above). The following is one of the main results of the paper under review: Let \(M\) be a rational homology 3-sphere, and suppose that \(M_{*} \times [ - 1, 1]\) has a handle presentation \(\mathcal {H}\) with no handles of index greater than 2. Suppose \(\mathcal H\) is a normal, algebraically minimal handle presentation. If the obstruction conditions are satisfied, then there is a 4-manifold \(N\) bounded by \(2M_{*}\) that has a minimal handle presentation. Another important result states conditions under which the famous Poincaré Conjecture is true (that is, any homotopy 3-sphere is \(S^3\)) in terms of minimal handle presentations and the triviality of the defined obstruction conditions. The author deliberately avoids using the truth of the Poincaré Conjecture, attempting to understand it in an explanatory fashion, differently from the solution of the conjecture by \textit{Grisha Perelman} [arXiv e-print service, Cornell University Library, Paper No. 0211159, 39 p., electronic only (2002; Zbl 1130.53001); ibid. 0303109, 22 p. (2003; Zbl 1130.53002); ibid. 0307245, 7 p. (2003; Zbl 1130.53003)].