Topologically, quasiconformally or Lipschitz locally flat approximation of embeddings (Q5934755)

Consider manifolds in the categories LIP of locally bi-Lipschitz homeomorphisms and LQC of locally quasiconformal (or equivalently locally quasisymmetric) homeomorphisms. The following theorem consists of representative special cases of the main results of the paper. Let CAT be LIP or LQC, let \(0\leq q\leq n\) with \(n\neq 4\), let \(M\) be a CAT \(n\)-manifold and \(Q\) a CAT \(q\)-manifold, both without boundary, and let \(f: Q\to M\) be a topological embedding. (1) If \(f\) is locally flat, then there is an arbitrarily small ambient isotopy of \(M\) carrying \(f\) to a locally CAT flat embedding. (2) Suppose that \(n\neq q+2\) if \(q\geq 2\). Then there is a locally CAT flat embedding \(g: Q\to M\) arbitrarily close to \(f\). (3) Suppose that \(n\neq q+2\) if \(q\geq 1\) and that \(f\) is closed. Then for every two locally CAT flat embeddings \(g_0,g_1: Q\to M\) sufficiently close to \(f\) there is an arbitrarily small ambient CAT isotopy of \(M\) carrying \(g_0\) to \(g_1\). -- The case \(q=n\) of this theorem is due to \textit{D. Sullivan} [Geometric topology, Proc. Conf., Athens/Ga. 1977, 543-555 (1979; Zbl 0478.57007)]. With a weaker definition of CAT isotopies, the case \(q=n-1\) was proved by the author in [Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Ser. A I Math. 8, 107-138 (1983; Zbl 0488.57005)]. Results of the forthcoming paper [Lipschitz and quasiconformal approximation of homeomorphism pairs, Topology Appl. 109, No. 1, 1-40 (2001; Zbl 0964.57023)] by the author are applied to prove (1) and to deduce (3) from its TOP analogue; (2) then follows from its TOP analogue by (1). The principal accomplishment of the paper is just to establish the auxiliary TOP analogies of the generalizations of (2) and (3) to manifolds with boundary starting from known results. In some instances the TOP results obtained slightly complete known results; unfortunately, open problems persist if \(q\geq n-1\).