Contaminations in 3-Manifolds

We propose in this paper a method for studying contact structures in 3manifolds by means of branched surfaces. We explain what it means for a contact structure to be carried by a branched surface embedded in a 3-manifold. To make the transition from contact structures to branched surfaces, we first define auxiliary objects called σ-confoliations and pure contaminations, both generalizing contact structures. We study various deformations of these objects and show that the σ-confoliations and pure contaminations obtained by suitably modifying a contact structure remember the contact structure up to isotopy. After defining tightness for all pure contaminations in a natural way, generalizing the definition of tightness for contact structures, we obtain some conditions on (the embedding of) a branched surface in a 3-manifold sufficient to guarantee that any pure contamination carried by the branched surface is tight. We also find conditions sufficient to prove that a branched surface carries only overtwisted (non-tight) contact structures. Our long-term goal in developing these methods is twofold: Not only do we want to study tight contact structures and pure contaminations, but we also wish to use them as tools for studying 3-manifold topology. These structures can exist in manifolds having either infinite or finite fundamental group, which suggests that they might be especially difficult to use effectively, but which also makes them especially attractive.