On Kirby calculus for null-homotopic framed links in 3–manifolds

Abstract

Kirby proved that two framed links in S^3 give orientation-preserving homeomorphic results of surgery if and only if these two links are related by a sequence of two kinds of moves called stabilizations and handle-slides. Fenn and Rourke gave a necessary and sufficient condition for two framed links in a closed, oriented 3-manifold to be related by a finite sequence of these moves. The purpose of this paper is twofold. We first give a generalization of Fenn and Rourke's result to 3-manifolds with boundary. Then we apply this result to the case of framed links whose components are null-homotopic in the 3-manifold.