The virtual fibering theorem for 3-manifolds (Q482042)

\textit{I. Agol} [Doc. Math., J. DMV 18, 1045--1087 (2013; Zbl 1286.57019)] answered the famous Virtually Haken and Virtually Fibered questions of \textit{W. P. Thurston} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 6, 357--379 (1982; Zbl 0496.57005)]. The latter of these asked if ``every hyperbolic 3-manifold has a finite-sheeted cover which fibers over the circle?'' Thurston comments, ``this dubious sounding question has a definite chance of a positive answer.'' And now, by Agol's work we know that the answer is, indeed, ``Yes!''. For more on the components of Agol's work and the consequences for group theory and 3-manifold topology, we encourage the reader to consult [\textit{M. Aschenbrenner}, \textit{S. Friedl} and \textit{H. Wilton}, ``3-manifold groups'', \url{arXiv:1205.0202}]. A key component of Agol's proof is a group-theoretic criterion for determining if a 3-manifold virtually fibers over the circle (i.e. has a finite sheeted cover which is a mapping torus of a surface diffeomorphism). Agol's condition is that the fundamental group of the 3-manifold is \textit{residually finite rationally solvable} or RFRS. Informally, a group \(\pi\) is RFRS if there is a descending chain of normal, finite index subgroups, intersecting only at the identity element, such that the quotient map from one subgroup to the next factors through the map to first homology modulo torsion. \textit{I. Agol} [J. Topol. 1, No. 2, 269--284 (2008; Zbl 1148.57023)] used least-weight taut normal surfaces to show that a connected, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold with zero Euler characteristic and with RFRS fundamental group virtually fibers. He remarks, however, that ``the natural setting for these ideas lies in sutured manifold hierarchies.'' In the paper under review, the authors take up Agol's suggestion and give a proof of Agol's criterion which uses sutured manifold hierarchies. Although their proof is rather complex, it is very clearly written and will be useful to those interested in sutured manifolds or coverings of 3-manifolds. More precisely, the authors (and previously, Agol) show: Theorem: Let \(N\) be an irreducible, connected 3-manifold with empty or toroidal boundary such that \(\pi_1(N)\) is virtually RFRS. Let \(\phi \in H^1(N;\mathbb{Q})\) be non-trivial. Then there exists a finite cover \(q: \widetilde{N} \to N\) such that \(q^*\phi\) is subordinate to a fibered class. (Saying that \(q^*\phi\) is subordinate to a fibered class means that the class \(q^*\phi\) lies in the closure of the unique cone over the face of the Thurston norm ball containing the fibered class.) The exterior \(N(S)\) of a decomposing surface \(S\) in a sutured manifold [\textit{D. Gabai}, J. Differ. Geom. 18, 445--503 (1983; Zbl 0533.57013)] has a collection of annuli and discs decomposing \(N(S)\) into submanifolds called \textit{guts} and \textit{windows}. The windows are the product sutured manifolds and the guts are the others. For a given decomposing surface in a sutured manifold, the authors define a complexity \(f\) depending on the algebraic and topological properties of the guts. The RFRS condition guarantees that the complexity is well-defined. The complexity has the important property that it is zero exactly when the decomposing surface is the fiber of a fibration. The proof of the theorem for closed 3-manifolds involves understanding how the complexity changes under taking covers corresponding to the subgroups appearing in the definition of RFRS. The proof for 3-manifolds with non-empty toroidal boundary follows from the closed case by a doubling argument.