Publication Date:
2011-05-18
Description:
We discuss generic smooth maps from smooth manifolds to smooth surfaces, which we call “Morse 2-functions,” and homotopies between such maps. The two central issues are to keep the fibers connected, in which case the Morse 2-function is “fiber-connected,” and to avoid local extrema over one-dimensional submanifolds of the range, in which case the Morse 2-function is “indefinite.” This is foundational work for the long-range goal of defining smooth invariants from Morse 2-functions using tools analogous to classical Morse homology and Cerf theory.
Keywords:
Low Dimensional Geometry and Topology Special Feature
Print ISSN:
0027-8424
Electronic ISSN:
1091-6490
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
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