Poincaré conjectureIn the mathematical field of geometric topology, the Poincaré conjecture (UKˈpwæ̃kæreɪ, USˌpwæ̃kɑːˈreɪ, pwɛ̃kaʁe) is a theorem about the characterization of the 3-sphere, which is the hypersphere that bounds the unit ball in four-dimensional space. Originally conjectured by Henri Poincaré in 1904, the theorem concerns spaces that locally look like ordinary three-dimensional space but which are finite in extent. Poincaré hypothesized that if such a space has the additional property that each loop in the space can be continuously tightened to a point, then it is necessarily a three-dimensional sphere.
Spherical 3-manifoldIn mathematics, a spherical 3-manifold M is a 3-manifold of the form where is a finite subgroup of SO(4) acting freely by rotations on the 3-sphere . All such manifolds are prime, orientable, and closed. Spherical 3-manifolds are sometimes called elliptic 3-manifolds or Clifford-Klein manifolds. A spherical 3-manifold has a finite fundamental group isomorphic to Γ itself. The elliptization conjecture, proved by Grigori Perelman, states that conversely all compact 3-manifolds with finite fundamental group are spherical manifolds.
Prime decomposition of 3-manifoldsIn mathematics, the prime decomposition theorem for 3-manifolds states that every compact, orientable 3-manifold is the connected sum of a unique (up to homeomorphism) finite collection of prime 3-manifolds. A manifold is prime if it cannot be presented as a connected sum of more than one manifold, none of which is the sphere of the same dimension. This condition is necessary since for any manifold M of dimension it is true that (where means the connected sum of and ).
Connected sumIn mathematics, specifically in topology, the operation of connected sum is a geometric modification on manifolds. Its effect is to join two given manifolds together near a chosen point on each. This construction plays a key role in the classification of closed surfaces. More generally, one can also join manifolds together along identical submanifolds; this generalization is often called the fiber sum. There is also a closely related notion of a connected sum on knots, called the knot sum or composition of knots.
AtoroidalIn mathematics, an atoroidal 3-manifold is one that does not contain an essential torus. There are two major variations in this terminology: an essential torus may be defined geometrically, as an embedded, non-boundary parallel, incompressible torus, or it may be defined algebraically, as a subgroup of its fundamental group that is not conjugate to a peripheral subgroup (i.e., the image of the map on fundamental group induced by an inclusion of a boundary component).
Knot complementIn mathematics, the knot complement of a tame knot K is the space where the knot is not. If a knot is embedded in the 3-sphere, then the complement is the 3-sphere minus the space near the knot. To make this precise, suppose that K is a knot in a three-manifold M (most often, M is the 3-sphere). Let N be a tubular neighborhood of K; so N is a solid torus. The knot complement is then the complement of N, The knot complement XK is a compact 3-manifold; the boundary of XK and the boundary of the neighborhood N are homeomorphic to a two-torus.
Surface bundle over the circleIn mathematics, a surface bundle over the circle is a fiber bundle with base space a circle, and with fiber space a surface. Therefore the total space has dimension 2 + 1 = 3. In general, fiber bundles over the circle are a special case of mapping tori. Here is the construction: take the Cartesian product of a surface with the unit interval. Glue the two copies of the surface, on the boundary, by some homeomorphism. This homeomorphism is called the monodromy of the surface bundle.
Binary icosahedral groupIn mathematics, the binary icosahedral group 2I or is a certain nonabelian group of order 120. It is an extension of the icosahedral group I or (2,3,5) of order 60 by the cyclic group of order 2, and is the of the icosahedral group under the 2:1 covering homomorphism of the special orthogonal group by the spin group. It follows that the binary icosahedral group is a discrete subgroup of Spin(3) of order 120. It should not be confused with the full icosahedral group, which is a different group of order 120, and is rather a subgroup of the orthogonal group O(3).
Topological quantum field theoryIn gauge theory and mathematical physics, a topological quantum field theory (or topological field theory or TQFT) is a quantum field theory which computes topological invariants. Although TQFTs were invented by physicists, they are also of mathematical interest, being related to, among other things, knot theory and the theory of four-manifolds in algebraic topology, and to the theory of moduli spaces in algebraic geometry. Donaldson, Jones, Witten, and Kontsevich have all won Fields Medals for mathematical work related to topological field theory.
Shape of the universeThe shape of the universe, in physical cosmology, is the local and global geometry of the universe. The local features of the geometry of the universe are primarily described by its curvature, whereas the topology of the universe describes general global properties of its shape as a continuous object. The spatial curvature is described by general relativity, which describes how spacetime is curved due to the effect of gravity.
