Heegaard splittings and the tight Giroux Correspondence

Abstract

This paper presents a new proof of the Giroux Correspondence for tight contact $3$-manifolds using techniques from Heegaard splittings and convex surface theory. We introduce tight Heegaard splittings, which generalise the Heegaard splittings naturally induced by an open book decomposition of a contact manifold. Via a process called refinement, any tight Heegaard splitting determines an open book, up to positive open book stabilisation. This allows us to translate moves relating distinct tight Heegaard splittings into moves relating their associated open books. We use these tools to show that every Heegaard splitting of a contact 3-manifold may be stabilised to a splitting associated to a supporting open book decomposition. Finally, we prove the tight Giroux Correspondence, showing that any pair of open book decompositions compatible with isotopic contact structures become isotopic after a sequence of positive open book stabilisations.