An algorithm for Seifert surfaces in 3-manifolds via surgery presentations

Abstract

The classical Seifert algorithm provides an explicit construction of a Seifert surface for any link in $S^3$. Alegria and Menasco extended this construction to integral homology $3$-spheres using Heegaard splittings. In this paper, we extend the Seifert algorithm to null-homologous links in arbitrary $3$-manifolds via surgery on framed links in $S^3$.