New York Journal of Mathematics
Volume 18 (2012) 295-313

  

Ali M. Elgindi

On the topological structure of complex tangencies to embeddings of S3 into C3

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Published: May 9, 2012
Keywords: Complex tangents, real submanifolds of complex space, complex differential geometry, complex differential topology, 3-sphere, Heisenberg group
Subject: 32V40, 32V05, 57M25, 53C56

Abstract
In the mid-1980's, M. Gromov used his machinery of the h-principle to prove that there exists totally real embeddings of S3 into C3. Subsequently, Patrick Ahern and Walter Rudin explicitly demonstrated such a totally real embedding. In this paper, we consider the generic situation for such embeddings, namely where complex tangents arise as codimension-2 subspaces. We first consider the Heisenberg group H and generate some interesting results therein. Then, by using the biholomorphism of H with the 3-sphere minus a point, we demonstrate that every homeomorphism-type of knot in S3 may arise precisely as the set of complex tangents to an embedding S3 ⟶ C3. We also make note of the (nongeneric) situation where complex tangents arise along surfaces.

Author information

Department of Mathematics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
alielgindi@gmail.com