On classifying proper knots in open 3-manifolds (Q910059)

The authors continue their investigation, initiated in their paper [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 308, 133-142 (1988; Zbl 0667.57004)], of proper (nonambient) isotopy classes of proper smooth embeddings of the real line in an open 3-manifold M. They consider the case when the embedded line connects two distinct ends of M, but only under the rather drastic restriction that one of those ends has a collar of type \(S^ 2\times [0,\infty)\) (and a milder restriction on the other end of M). They prove that in this case properly homotopic embeddings are properly isotopic.