Skip to main content
Log in

Heegaard surfaces and measured laminations, I: The Waldhausen conjecture

  • Published:
Inventiones mathematicae Aims and scope

Abstract

We give a proof of the so-called generalized Waldhausen conjecture, which says that an orientable irreducible atoroidal 3-manifold has only finitely many Heegaard splittings in each genus, up to isotopy. Jaco and Rubinstein have announced a proof of this conjecture using different methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Agol, I., Li, T.: An algorithm to detect laminar 3-manifolds. Geom. Topol. 7, 287–309 (2003)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. Boileau, M., Collins, D.J., Zieschang, H.: Genus 2 Heegaard decompositions of small Seifert manifolds. Ann. Inst. Fourier 41, 1005–1024 (1991)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  3. Bonahon, F., Otal, J.P.: Scindements de Heegaard des espaces lenticulaires. Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér., IV. Sér. 16, 451–466 (1983)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. Camacho, C., Neto, A.L.: Geometric theory of foliations. Translated by Sue Goodman. Boston: Birkhäuser 1985

  5. Candel, A., Conlon, L.: Foliations I. Graduate Studies in Math., vol. 23. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society 2000

  6. Candel, A., Conlon, L.: Foliations II. Graduate Studies in Math., vol. 60. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society 2003

  7. Casson, A., Gordon, C.: Reducing Heegaard splittings. Topol. Appl. 27, 275–283 (1987)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Floyd, W., Oertel, U.: Incompressible surfaces via branched surfaces. Topology 23, 117–125 (1984)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Gabai, D.: Foliations and 3-manifolds. Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians, Kyoto, 1990, vol. I, II, pp. 609–619. Tokyo: Math. Soc. Japan 1991

  10. Gabai, D.: Taut foliations of 3-manifolds and suspensions of S 1. Ann. Inst. Fourier 42, 193–208 (1992)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. Gabai, D.: Essential laminations and Kneser normal form. J. Differ. Geom. 53, 517–574 (1999)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. Gabai, D., Oertel, U.: Essential laminations in 3-manifolds. Ann. Math. (2) 130, 41–73 (1989)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. Haken, W.: Theorie der Normalflächen: Ein Isotopiekriterium für der Kreisknoten. Acta Math. 105, 245–375 (1961)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Haken, W.: Some results on surfaces in 3-manifolds. In: Studies in Modern Topology, Math. Assoc. Amer. Studies in Math., vol. 5, pp. 39–98. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall 1968

  15. Hatcher, A.: Measured lamination spaces for surfaces, from the topological viewpoint. Topol. Appl. 30, 63–88 (1988)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  16. Jaco, W., Rubinstein, H.: 0-efficient triangulations of 3-manifolds. J. Differ. Geom. 65, 61–168 (2003)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Johannson, K.: Heegaard surfaces in Haken 3-manifolds. Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 23, 91–98 (1990)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Johannson, K.: Topology and combinatorics of 3-manifolds. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 1599. Berlin: Springer 1995

  19. King, S.: Almost normal Heegaard surfaces. arXiv:math.GT/0303377

  20. Kneser, H.: Geschlossene Flächen in dreidimensionalen Mannigfaltigkeiten. Jahresber. Dtsch. Math.-Ver. 38, 248–260 (1929)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Kobayashi, T.: A construction of 3-manifolds whose homeomorphism classes of Heegaard splittings have polynomial growth. Osaka J. Math. 29, 653–674 (1992)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  22. Lackenby, M.: The asymptotic behaviour of Heegaard genus. Math. Res. Lett. 11, 139–149 (2004)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  23. Li, T.: Laminar branched surfaces in 3-manifolds. Geom. Topol. 6, 153–194 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Li, T.: Boundary curves of surfaces with the 4-plane property. Geom. Topol. 6, 609–647 (2002)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  25. Li, T.: An algorithm to find vertical tori in small Seifert fiber spaces. Comment. Math. Helv. 81, 727–753 (2006)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  26. Li, T.: Commutator groups and foliations without holonomy. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 130, 2471–2477 (2002)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. Li, T.: Heegaard surfaces and measured laminations, II: non-Haken 3-manifolds. J. Am. Math. Soc. 19, 625–657 (2006)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Morgan, J., Shalen, P.: Degerations of hyperbolic structures, II: Measured laminations in 3-manifolds. Ann. Math. 127, 403–456 (1988)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  29. Moriah, Y.: Heegaard splittings of Seifert fibered spaces. Invent. Math. 91, 465–481 (1988)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  30. Moriah, Y., Schultens, J.: Irreducible Heegaard splittings of Seifert fibered spaces are either vertical or horizontal. Topology 37, 1089–1112 (1998)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  31. Mosher, L., Oertel, U.: Spaces which are not negatively curved. Commun. Anal. Geom. 6, 67–140 (1998)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  32. Mosher, L., Oertel, U.: Two-dimensionsl measured laminations of positive Euler characteristic. Q. J. Math. 52, 195–216 (2001)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  33. Namazi, H.: Big handlebody distance implies finite mapping class group. arcXiv:math.GT/0406551

  34. Novikov, S.P.: Topology of foliations. Mosc. Math. Soc. 14, 268–305 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Oertel, U.: Measured laminations in 3-manifolds. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 305, 531–573 (1988)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  36. Rubinstein, H.: Polyhedral minimal surfaces, Heegaard splittings and decision problems for 3-dimensional manifolds. Proc. Georgia Topology Conference. Am. Math. Coc./Intl. Press 1993

  37. Scharlemann, M.: Local detection of strongly irreducible Heegaard splittings. Topol. Appl. 90, 135–147 (1998)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  38. Schleimer, S.: The disjoint curve property. Geom. Topol. 8, 77–113 (2004)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  39. Sedgwich, E.: An infinite collection of Heegaard splittings that are equivalent after one stabilization. Math. Ann. 308, 65–72 (1997)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  40. Solodov, V.V.: Components of topological foliations. Mat. Sb. 119, 340–354 (1982)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  41. Stocking, M.: Almost normal surfaces in 3-manifolds. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 352, 171–207 (2000)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  42. Tamura, I.: Topology of Foliations: An Introduction. Translations of Mathematical Monographs, vol. 97. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society 1992

  43. Waldhausen, F.: Heegaard-Zerlegungen der 3-Sphäre. Topology 7, 195–203 (1968)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  44. Waldhausen, F.: Some problems on 3-manifolds. Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 32, 313–322 (1978)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tao Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, T. Heegaard surfaces and measured laminations, I: The Waldhausen conjecture. Invent. math. 167, 135–177 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00222-006-0009-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00222-006-0009-y

Keywords

Navigation