A Menagerie of SU(2)-Cyclic 3-Manifolds

Abstract

Abstract We classify $SU(2)$-cyclic and $SU(2)$-abelian 3-manifolds, for which every representation of the fundamental group into $SU(2)$ has cyclic or abelian image, respectively, among geometric 3-manifolds that are not hyperbolic. As an application, we give examples of hyperbolic 3-manifolds that do not admit degree-1 maps to any Seifert Fibered manifold other than $S^3$ or a lens space. We also produce infinitely many one-cusped hyperbolic manifolds with at least four $SU(2)$-cyclic Dehn fillings, one more than the number of cyclic fillings allowed by the cyclic surgery theorem.