Abstract: We compute the group of link homotopy classes of link maps of two 2-spheres into 4-space. It turns out to be free abelian, generated by geometric constructions applied to the Fenn-Rolfsen link map and detected by two self-intersection invariants introduced by Paul Kirk in this setting. As a corollary, we show that any link map with one topologically embedded component is link homotopic to the unlink. Our proof introduces a new basic link homotopy, which we call a Whitney homotopy, that shrinks an embedded Whitney sphere constructed from four copies of a Whitney disk. Freedman's disk embedding theorem is applied to get the necessary embedded Whitney disks, after constructing sufficiently many accessory spheres as algebraic duals for immersed Whitney disks. To construct these accessory spheres and immersed Whitney disks we use the algebra of metabolic forms over the group ring Z[Z], and introduce a number of new 4-dimensional constructions, including maneuvers involving the boundary arcs of Whitney disks.
Recommendations
- Group Actions of the 2-Sphere
- A discreteness algorithm for 4-punctured sphere groups
- Finite Group Actions and Nonseparating 2-Spheres
- A Group Theoretic Characterization of the 2-Dimensional Spherical Groups
- Relative cubulations and groups with a 2-sphere boundary
- The \(G_{2}\) sphere of a 4-manifold
- Thrice-punctured sphere groups in hyperbolic 4-space
- Pulling apart 2-spheres in 4-manifolds
- Publication:3831730
Cites work
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4082524 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 193544 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1356915 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3258063 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3349061 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2227016 (Why is no real title available?)
- All two dimensions links are null homotopic
- An invariant of link homotopy in dimension four
- Geometric invariants of link cobordism
- Higher order intersection numbers of \(2\)-spheres in \(4\)-manifolds
- Higher-order intersections in low-dimensional topology
- Homotopy links
- Knotted 2-spheres in the 4-sphere
- Link groups
- Link homotopy in the 2-metastable range
- Link maps and the geometry of their invariants
- On invariants of link maps in dimension four
- On link maps and their homotopy classification
- Spheres May Link Homotopically in 4-Space
- The Cochran sequences of semi-boundary links
- Whitney tower concordance of classical links
- Whitney towers and abelian invariants of knots
- Whitney's Trick for Three 2-Dimensional Homology Classes of 4-Manifolds
- Wild knots in higher dimensions as limit sets of Kleinian groups
Cited in
(6)
This page was built for publication: The group of disjoint 2-spheres in 4-space
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2334865)
