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Incompressible surfaces and the topology of 3-dimensional manifolds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2009

Iain R. Aitchison
Affiliation:
Mathematics Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052
J. Hyam Rubinstein
Affiliation:
Mathematics Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052
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Abstract

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Existence and properties of incompressible surfaces in 3-dimensional manifolds are surveyed. Some conjectures of Waldhausen and Thurston concerning such surfaces are stated. An outline is given of the proof that such surfaces can be pulled back by non-zero degree maps between 3-manifolds. The effect of surgery on immersed, incompressible surfaces and on hierarchies is discussed. A characterisation is given of the immersed, incompressible surfaces previously studied by Hass and Scott, which arise naturally with cubings of non-positive curvature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Mathematical Society 1993

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