A solid torus is a three-dimensional shape that resembles a donut, formed by taking a filled-in circular region in the plane and revolving it around an axis in the same plane. It is a key object in topology, particularly when discussing handlebodies, as it serves as a fundamental building block for constructing these more complex structures. Understanding the properties and construction of solid tori is essential for grasping how handlebodies are formed and manipulated within the realm of algebraic topology.
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