On the minimal number of critical points of functions on h-cobordisms

P. E. Pushkar, Yu. B. Rudyak

Let (W,M,M'), dim W > 5, be a non-trivial h-cobordism (i.e., the Whitehead torsion of (W,V) is non-zero). We prove that every smooth function f: W --> [0,1], f(M)=0, f(M')=1 has at…