What is an almost normal surface?

MaRDI QIDQ2867785zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Joel R. Hass

Publication date 20 December 2013

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1208.0568

zbMATH Keywords

algorithmsnormal surfacesrecognizing the 3-sphere

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Minimal surfaces in differential geometry, surfaces with prescribed mean curvature (53A10) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to manifolds and cell complexes (57-02) History of manifolds and cell complexes (57-03)

Abstract: A major breakthrough in the theory of topological algorithms occurred in 1992 when Hyam Rubinstein introduced the idea of an almost normal surface. We explain how almost normal surfaces emerged naturally from the study of geodesics and minimal surfaces. Patterns of stable and unstable geodesics can be used to characterize the 2-sphere among surfaces, and similar patterns characterize the 3-sphere among 3-manifolds. Analogous patterns of normal and almost normal surfaces led Rubinstein to an algorithm for recognizing the 3-sphere.

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Cited in

(6)

• Finding non-orientable surfaces in 3-manifolds
• Almost normal surfaces with boundary
• Almost normal surfaces in 3-manifolds
• What Is a Surface?
• Why happy instead of just normal?
• An algorithm to determine the Heegaard genus of simple 3-manifolds with nonempty boundary

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