Related papers: Embeddability in $\mathbb{R}^3$ is NP-hard

We show that the following algorithmic problem is decidable: given a $2$-dimensional simplicial complex, can it be embedded (topologically, or equivalently, piecewise linearly) in $\mathbf{R}^3$? By a known reduction, it suffices to decide…

We show that the decision problem of determining whether a given (abstract simplicial) $k$-complex has a geometric embedding in $\mathbb R^d$ is complete for the Existential Theory of the Reals for all $d\geq 3$ and $k\in\{d-1,d\}$. This…

We show that three natural decision problems about links and 3-manifolds are computationally hard, assuming some conjectures in complexity theory. The first problem is determining whether a link in the 3-sphere bounds a Seifert surface with…

We show that the problem of determining whether a knot in the 3-sphere is non-trivial lies in NP. This is a consequence of the following more general result. The problem of determining whether the Thurston norm of a second homology class in…

We investigate the complexity of finding an embedded non-orientable surface of Euler genus $g$ in a triangulated $3$-manifold. This problem occurs both as a natural question in low-dimensional topology, and as a first non-trivial instance…

We show that the problem of showing that a cusped 3-manifold M is not hyperbolic is in NP, assuming $S^3$-RECOGNITION is in coNP. To this end, we show that IRREDUCIBLE TOROIDAL RECOGNITION lies in NP. Along the way we unconditionally…

We investigate the computational complexity of some problems in three-dimensional topology and geometry. We show that the problem of determining a bound on the genus of a knot in a 3-manifold, is NP-complete. Using similar ideas, we show…

We prove that given two compact oriented $3$-manifolds $N$ and $M,$ with $M$ satisfying only a mild hypothesis, there is a hyperbolic $3$-manifold $N'$ arbitrarily ``closely related'' to $N,$ and such that $N'$ does not embed in $M.$ For…

We consider the problem of deciding whether an input graph G admits a topological embedding into a two-dimensional simplicial complex C. This problem includes, among others, the embeddability problem of a graph on a surface and the…

A map $f\colon K\to \mathbb R^d$ of a simplicial complex is an almost embedding if $f(\sigma)\cap f(\tau)=\emptyset$ whenever $\sigma,\tau$ are disjoint simplices of $K$. Theorem. Fix integers $d,k\ge2$ such that $d=\frac{3k}2+1$. (a)…

We study $d$-dimensional simplicial complexes that are PL embeddable in $\mathbb{R}^{d+1}$. It is shown that such a complex must satisfy a certain homological condition. The existence of this obstruction allows us to provide a systematic…

We prove that deciding if a diagram of the unknot can be untangled using at most $k$ Riedemeister moves (where $k$ is part of the input) is NP-hard. We also prove that several natural questions regarding links in the $3$-sphere are NP-hard,…

Normal surface theory, a tool to represent surfaces in a triangulated 3-manifold combinatorially, is ubiquitous in computational 3-manifold theory. In this paper, we investigate a relaxed notion of normal surfaces where we remove the…

We prove that there is an algorithm which determines whether or not a given 2-polyhedron can be embedded into some integral homology 3-sphere. This is a corollary of the following main result. Let $M$ be a compact connected orientable…

We prove that multilinear (tensor) analogues of many efficiently computable problems in numerical linear algebra are NP-hard. Our list here includes: determining the feasibility of a system of bilinear equations, deciding whether a 3-tensor…

Geometric embedding of graphs in a point set in the plane is a well known problem. In this paper, the complexity of a variant of this problem, where the point set is bounded by a simple polygon, is considered. Given a point set in the plane…

(1) We show that if a presentation of the trivial group is "hard to trivialize", in the sense that lots of Tietze moves are necessary to transform it into the trivial presentation, then the associated presentation complex (which is a…

A clear understanding of topology of higher-dimensional objects is important in many branches of both pure and applied mathematics. In this survey we attempt to present some results of higher-dimensional topology in a way which makes clear…

We show that the problem of deciding whether a knot in a fixed closed orientable 3-dimensional manifold bounds a surface of genus at most $g$ is in co-NP. This answers a question of Agol, Hass, and Thurston in 2002. Previously, this was…

There are many fundamental algorithmic problems on triangulated 3-manifolds whose complexities are unknown. Here we study the problem of finding a taut angle structure on a 3-manifold triangulation, whose existence has implications for both…