Minimal measured laminations in geometric 3-manifolds (Q803597)

Let M be a 3-manifold and L a lamination of M [\textit{J. W. Morgan} and \textit{P. B. Shalen}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 127, 403-456 (1988; Zbl 0656.57003)]. The lamination L in the Riemannian manifold M is said to be minimal if all its leaves are minimal surfaces. A measured lamination is a lamination equipped with an invariant transverse measure. Let \({\mathcal S}\) be the set of free homotopy classes of loops in M and \({\mathbb{R}}^{{\mathcal S}}\) the set of all functions from \({\mathcal S}\) to the set of real numbers \({\mathbb{R}}\). The author characterizes incompressible branched surfaces in Seifert fibered manifolds with \(SL_ 2{\mathbb{R}}\) or \(H^ 2\times E\)-structures and he proves the following Theorem: Let M be a 3-manifold with a fixed \(SL_ 2{\mathbb{R}}\)-structure g. Let m be a class of \({\mathbb{R}}^{{\mathcal S}}\) represented by an incompressible measured lamination in M. Then there exists a unique incompressible minimal measured lamination L in (M,g) which represents m. Moreover L is vertical with respect to the geometric fibration of (M,g). A corresponding Theorem for Seifert fibered manifolds with \(H^ 2\times E\)-structures is given.