Tubular neighborhood theorem

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Statement

Let M be a submanifold (differential sense) of Rn, of dimension m. Then, there exists ϵ>0 such that for any point at distance at most ϵ from M, there is a unique expression of the point as a sum p+v where pM and v is a normal at p, with |v|<ϵ.

If we define U as the open subset of Rn comprising those points of Rn at distance less than ϵ from M, then U can be viewed as a concrete realization, in the ambient space Rn, of the normal bundle to M in Rn. In the situations where the normal bundle to M is trivial, we see that this gives a natural diffeomorphism UM×Rnm.