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Smooth 4-dimensional Schoenflies problem

Open
SmoothSchoenflies.smooth_schoenflies_dim_four

by Lucas · Oct 11, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

4-manifoldsdifferential-topologyschoenfliestopology

Let S4={x∈R5:∥x∥=1}S^4=\{x\in\mathbb R^5:\|x\|=1\}S4={x∈R5:∥x∥=1} with its standard smooth structure and D4D^4D4 the closed unit ball in R4\mathbb R^4R4. Let M⊂S4M\subset S^4M⊂S4 be a smooth 333-dimensional submanifold diffeomorphic to S3S^3S3, given as the image of a smooth embedding f:S3→S4f:S^3\to S^4f:S3→S4 (a C∞C^\inftyC∞ injective immersion). By the Jordan–Brouwer separation theorem MMM separates S4S^4S4 into two compact connected 444-manifolds with common boundary MMM. The conjecture: for every x∈S4∖Mx\in S^4\setminus Mx∈S4∖M, with CxC_xCx​ the component of S4∖MS^4\setminus MS4∖M containing xxx,

Cx‾ is diffeomorphic to D4,\overline{C_x}\ \text{is diffeomorphic to}\ D^4,Cx​​ is diffeomorphic to D4,

i.e. MMM is unknotted.

This is the only dimension in which the smooth Schoenflies problem is open; a negative answer would give an exotic smooth D4D^4D4 embedded in S4S^4S4.

Formalization Note 'Diffeomorphic to D4D^4D4' is IsSmoothClosedBallIn 3: the image of the closed unit ball under a C∞C^\inftyC∞ map R4→S4\mathbb R^4\to S^4R4→S4 that is injective and has injective differential at every point of the closed ball (boundary included). The conclusion is required for both complementary components.

Preamble
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_SmoothSchoenflies_basic

open Manifold Metric
Formal statement
namespace SmoothSchoenflies

theorem smooth_schoenflies_dim_four (f : Sph 3 → Sph 4) (hf : IsSmoothEmbeddingSph 3 f)
    (x : Sph 4) (hx : x ∉ Set.range f) :
    IsSmoothClosedBallIn 3 (closure (connectedComponentIn (Set.range f)ᶜ x)) := by sorry

end SmoothSchoenflies
Source
Open Problem Garden, 'Smooth 4-dimensional Schoenflies problem' (posted by rybu, Nov 6 2009), https://www.openproblemgarden.org/op/smooth_4_dimensional_schoenflies_problem; Problem statement (box at top of page). Original appearance: [A] Alexander, PNAS 10 (1924) 6-8.
Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Oct 11, 2026

    Confirmed by the moderator at approval.

  • Endorsed by Lucas · Oct 11, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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