The Complex of Hypersurfaces in a Homology Class

arXiv2007.00522MaRDI QIDQ6344208FDOQ6344208

Authors: Gerrit Herrmann, José Pedro Quintanilha 

Publication date: 1 July 2020

Abstract: For a compact oriented smooth $n$-manifold $M$ and a codimension-$1$ homology class $phiinoperatorname{H}_{n-1}(M,partialM)$, we investigate a simplicial complex $mathcal{S}^{d}agger(M,phi)$ relating the properly embedded hypersurfaces in $M$ representing $phi$. Its definition is akin to that of other classical complexes, such as the curve complex of a surface or the Kakimizu complex of a knot, with the difference that hypersurfaces are not taken up to isotopy. We prove that $mathcal{S}^{d}agger(M,phi)$ is connected and simply connected in every dimension $n$. We also show connectedness of a similar complex $mathcal{T}^{d}agger(M,phi)$ adapted to the $3$-dimensional case, where only Thurston norm-realizing surfaces are considered. The connectedness results are transported to the complexes $mathcalS(M,phi),mathcalT(M,phi)$ where hypersurfaces are taken up to isotopy, and for $n=2$ the simple connectedness result carries over as well. We also briefly discuss extensions to a context studied by Turaev, where regular graphs in $2$-complexes are used to represent $1$-dimensional cohomology classes. We finish with two applications: we give an alternative proof of the fact that all Seifert surfaces for a fixed knot in a rational homology sphere are tube-equivalent, and we use connectedness of $mathcal{T}^{d}agger(M,phi)$ to define a new $el{l}^2$-invariant of $2$-dimensional homology classes in irreducible and boundary-irreducible oriented compact connected $3$-manifolds with empty or toroidal boundary.

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Embeddings in differential topology (57R40) Isotopy in differential topology (57R52) 2-dimensional topology (including mapping class groups of surfaces, Teichmüller theory, curve complexes, etc.) (57K20) Knot theory (57K10) Invariants of 3-manifolds (including skein modules, character varieties) (57K31)

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