Novikov's compact leaf theorem
Novikov's compact leaf theorem
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Novikov's compact leaf theorem

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Novikov's compact leaf theorem

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Novikov's compact leaf theorem

In mathematics, Novikov's compact leaf theorem, named after Sergei Novikov, states that

Theorem: A smooth codimension-one foliation of the 3-sphere S3 has a compact leaf. The leaf is a torus T2 bounding a solid torus with the Reeb foliation.

The theorem was proved by Sergei Novikov in 1964. Earlier, Charles Ehresmann had conjectured that every smooth codimension-one foliation on S3 had a compact leaf, which was known to be true for all known examples; in particular, the Reeb foliation has a compact leaf that is T2.

In 1965, Novikov proved the compact leaf theorem for any M3:

Theorem: Let M3 be a closed 3-manifold with a smooth codimension-one foliation F. Suppose any of the following conditions is satisfied:

Then F has a compact leaf of genus g ≤ 1.

In terms of covering spaces:

A codimension-one foliation of a compact 3-manifold whose universal covering space is not contractible must have a compact leaf.

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