The genus-g handlebody detection conjecture in the 4-sphere

For each g0g\geq 0, let V0,V1S4V_0,V_1\subset S^4 be 3-dimensional genus-gg handlebodies with the same boundary, V0=V1\partial V_0=\partial V_1. A simple closed curve in V0\partial V_0 is V0V_0-compressible if it bounds a compressing disc in V0V_0. Handlebody detection conjecture. For every g0g\geq 0, there exist V0V_0 and V1V_1 such that the sets of V0V_0-compressible and V1V_1-compressible simple closed curves coincide, but V1V_1 is not isotopic to V0V_0 through an isotopy fixing V1\partial V_1. This asks whether the compressible-curve data on the common boundary completely detects the embedding of a handlebody in S4S^4.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Ryan Budney and David Gabai, “Knotted 3-balls in S^4”, arXiv:1912.09029 (2021).

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