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We develop a new purely combinatorial approach to N. Steenrod's problem on realisation of cycles. We prove that every n-dimensional homology class of every topological space can be realised with some multiplicity by an image of a…
A generalized-homology bordism-theory is constructed, such that for certain manifold homotopy stratified sets (MHSS; Quinn-spaces) homeomorphism-invariant geometric fundamental-classes exist. The construction combines three ideas: Firstly,…
Using an obstruction based on Donaldson's theorem on the intersection forms of definite 4-manifolds, we determine which connected sums of lens spaces smoothly embed in S^4. We also find constraints on the Seifert invariants of Seifert…
This paper studies certain embedded spheres in closed affine manifolds. For $n \geq 3$, we investigate the dome bodies in a closed affine $n$-manifold $M$ with its boundary homeomorphic to a sphere under the assumption that a developing map…
In this paper we introduce a technique, called rim surgery, which can change a smooth embedding of an orientable surface of positive genus and nonnegative self-intersection in a smooth 4-manifold while leaving the topological embedding…
We introduce a hyperbolic reflection group trick which builds closed aspherical manifolds out of compact ones and preserves hyperbolicity, residual finiteness, and -- for almost all primes $p$ -- $\mathbb{F}_p$-homology growth above the…
A smooth embedding of a closed $3$-manifold $M$ in $\mathbb{R}^4$ may generically be composed with projection to the fourth coordinate to determine a Morse function on $M$ and hence a Heegaard splitting $M=X\cup_\Sigma Y$. However, starting…
We construct smooth manifolds with order two $\pi_1$ and even intersection forms which are irreducible, meaning they do not decompose into non-trivial connected sums. Their intersection forms being even implies that their universal covers…
Using the language of twisted skew-commutative algebras, we define \emph{secondary representation stability}, a stability pattern in the {\it unstable} homology of spaces that are representation stable in the sense of Church, Ellenberg, and…
In this paper we study embeddings of contact manifolds using braidings of one manifold about another. In particular we show how to embed many contact 3-manifolds into the standard contact 5-sphere. We also show how to obstruct braidings of…
We show that there exists an algorithm that takes as input two closed, simply connected, topological 4-manifolds and decides whether or not these 4-manifolds are homeomorphic. In particular, we explain in detail how closed, simply…
Let $n \geq 2$. We prove a homological stability theorem for the diffeomorphism groups of $(4n+1)$-dimensional manifolds, with respect to forming the connected sum with $(2n-1)$-connected, $(4n+1)$-dimensional manifolds that are stably…
We show that standard cyclic actions on Brieskorn homology 3-spheres with non-empty fixed set do not extend smoothly to any contractible smooth 4-manifold it may bound. The quotient of any such extension would be an acyclic $4$-manifold…
We show rational homological stability for the homotopy automorphisms and block diffeomorphims of iterated connected sums of products of spheres. The spheres can have different dimension, but need to satisfy a certain connectivity…
The trace of $n$-framed surgery on a knot in $S^3$ is a 4-manifold homotopy equivalent to the 2-sphere. We characterise when a generator of the second homotopy group of such a manifold can be realised by a locally flat embedded 2-sphere…
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…
Finite-order invariants of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds (including non-orientable ones) are constructed and studied by methods of the topology of discriminant sets. Obstructions to the integrability of admissible weight systems to…
Let $f: X \to Y$ be a regular covering of a surface $Y$ of finite type with nonempty boundary, with finitely-generated (possibly infinite) deck group $G$. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for an integral homology class on $X$ to…
A pseudocircle is a simple closed curve on some surface; an arrangement of pseudocircles is a collection of pseudocircles that pairwise intersect in exactly two points, at which they cross. Ortner proved that an arrangement of pseudocircles…
Using Heegaard Floer homology, we construct a numerical invariant for any smooth, oriented $4$-manifold $X$ with the homology of $S^1 \times S^3$. Specifically, we show that for any smoothly embedded $3$-manifold $Y$ representing a…