The word problem for 3-manifolds built from injective handlebodies

Abstract

This paper gives a proof that the fundamental group of a class of closed orientable 3-manifolds constructed from three injective handlebodies has a solvable word problem. This is done by giving an algorithm to decide if a closed curve in the manifold is null-homotopic. Non-Haken and non-Seifert fibered examples are constructed by performing Dehn surgery on a class of two-bridge knots.