Milnor invariants for spatial graphs (Q930855)

In this paper the author introduces a new homotopy equivalence relation on embedded graphs in the 3-sphere. Other homotopy equivalence relations on embedded graphs have been defined previously, e.g. by \textit{K. Taniyama} [Topology 33, No. 3, 509--523 (1994; Zbl 0823.57006)]. Two embeddings \(\Phi\) and \(\Phi'\) of an abstract graph \(G\) are called component-homotopic if \(\Phi\) can be transformed to \(\Phi'\) by ambient isotopies and crossing changes between edges that belong to the same component of \(G\). Of course, if \(G\) is connected any two embeddings are component-homotopic. This equivalence relation is a direct generalization of link-homotopy, introduced by \textit{J. Milnor} [Ann. Math. (2) 59, 177--195 (1954; Zbl 0055.16901)]. The author generalizes to component-homotopy some relevant results about link-homotopy. Namely, to an embedding \(\Phi\) of \(G\), he associates a Milnor group \(CM(\Phi)\), which is invariant under component-homotopy; this group is a certain quotient of \(\pi_1(S^3-\Phi)\), and it is also a quotient of \(CMF(G)\), a certain group associated to the abstract graph \(G\). It is shown that \(CMF(G)\cong CM(\Phi)\), where the isomorphism preserves generators up to conjugacy, if and only if \(\Phi\) is component-homotopic to a completely split embedding. It is also shown that an embedding \(\Phi\) is component-homotopic to a completely split embedding, if and only if every constituent link of \(\Phi\) is link-homotopic to the trivial link, where a constituent link \(L\) of \(\Phi\) is a link formed by cycles of \(\Phi\) such that at most one component of \(L\) is contained in a component of \(\Phi\).