Surfaces in products of two curves (Q897444)

This paper involves a discussion of the problem of embedding a connected closed surface in the product of two curves, where by a curve is meant a \(1\)-dimensional continuum. The authors begin by citing a theorem du to J. Nagata which states that for all \(n\geq2\), every metrizable space of dimension \(n\) can be embedded in the product of \(n+1\) \(1\)-dimensional spaces. This result apparently has inspired much of the research in the area covered by the current paper. In Section 1, some of the known results concerning embedding (or the inability to embed) a surface in the product of two curves are listed. These include accomplishments of K. Borsuk, W. Kuperberg, and R. Cauty. In later sections, the authors provide an alternate proof of Borsuk's result that \(S^2\) cannot be embedded in the product of two \(1\)-dimensional spaces. They improve on the positive embedding results due to Kuperberg and Cauty. They prove that the \(2\)-torus is the only closed surface which, when embedded in the product of two curves, is a retract of that product. Other results involve a demonstration that each bordered surface embeds in the ``three-page book'', and an example of a graph whose second symmetric product cannot be embedded in the product of two curves.