A TQFT of Turaev–Viro Type on Shaped Triangulations

A shaped triangulation is a finite triangulation of an oriented pseudo-three-manifold where each tetrahedron carries dihedral angles of an ideal hyperbolic tetrahedron. To each shaped triangulation, we associate a quantum partition function in the form of an absolutely convergent state integral which is invariant under shaped 3–2 Pachner moves and invariant with respect to shape gauge transformations generated by total dihedral angles around internal edges through the Neumann–Zagier Poisson bracket. Similarly to Turaev–Viro theory, the state variables live on edges of the triangulation but take their values on the whole real axis. The tetrahedral weight functions are composed of three hyperbolic gamma functions in a way that they enjoy a manifest tetrahedral symmetry. We conjecture that for shaped triangulations of closed three-manifolds, our partition function is twice the absolute value squared of the partition function of Techmüller TQFT defined by Andersen and Kashaev. This is similar to the known relationship between the Turaev–Viro and the Witten–Reshetikhin–Turaev invariants of three-manifolds. We also discuss interpretations of our construction in terms of three-dimensional supersymmetric field theories related to triangulated three-dimensional manifolds.     

CR singular images of generic submanifolds under holomorphic maps

The purpose of this paper is to organize some results on the local geometry of CR singular real-analytic manifolds that are images of CR manifolds via a CR map that is a diffeomorphism onto its image. We find a necessary (sufficient in dimension 2) condition for the diffeomorphism to extend to a finite holomorphic map. The multiplicity of this map is a biholomorphic invariant that is precisely the Moser invariant of the image, when it is a Bishop surface with vanishing Bishop invariant. In higher dimensions, we study Levi-flat CR singular images and we prove that the set of CR singular points must be large, and in the case of codimension 2, necessarily Levi-flat or complex. We also show that there exist real-analytic CR functions on such images that satisfy the tangential CR conditions at the singular points, yet fail to extend to holomorphic functions in a neighborhood. We provide many examples to illustrate the phenomena that arise.     

A refinement of the Ray–Singer torsion

We propose a refinement of the Ray–Singer torsion, which can be viewed as an analytic counterpart of the refined combinatorial torsion introduced by Turaev. Given a closed, oriented manifold of odd dimension with fundamental group Γ, the refined torsion is a complex valued, holomorphic function defined for representations of Γ which are close to the space of unitary representations. When the representation is unitary the absolute value of the refined torsion is equal to the Ray–Singer torsion, while its phase is determined by the η-invariant. As an application we extend and improve a result of Farber about the relationship between the absolute torsion of Farber–Turaev and the η-invariant. To cite this article: M. Braverman, T. Kappeler, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 341 (2005).     

Monoidal Morita invariants for finite group algebras

Two Hopf algebras are called monoidally Morita equivalent if module categories over them are equivalent as linear monoidal categories. We introduce monoidal Morita invariants for finite-dimensional Hopf algebras based on certain braid group representations arising from the Drinfeld double construction. As an application, we show, for any integer n, the number of elements of order n is a monoidal Morita invariant for finite group algebras. We also describe relations between our construction and invariants of closed 3-manifolds due to Reshetikhin and Turaev.     

The spectra and singular values of multidimensional integral operators with bihomogeneous kernels

We consider the multidimensional integral operators with bihomogeneous kernel invariant under all rotations. For truncated operators of the type we describe the limit behavior of the set of singular values and in the case when these operators are selfadjoint we describe the limit behavior of their spectra.     

Intermediately fully invariant subgroups of abelian groups

Describing intermediately fully invariant subgroups of divisible and torsion groups, we show that the intermediately fully invariant subgroups are direct summands in a completely decomposable group whose every homogeneous component is decomposable. For torsion groups, we find out when all their fully invariant subgroups are intermediately fully invariant; and for torsion-free groups, this question comes down to the reduced case. Also, in a torsion group that is the sum of cyclic subgroups, its subgroup is shown to be intermediately inert if and only if it is commensurable with some intermediately fully invariant subgroup.     

Homotopy invariants of Gauss words

By defining combinatorial moves, we can define an equivalence relation on Gauss words called homotopy. In this paper we define a homotopy invariant of Gauss words. We use this to show that there exist Gauss words that are not homotopic to the empty Gauss word, disproving a conjecture by Turaev. In fact, we show that there are an infinite number of equivalence classes of Gauss words under homotopy.     

A Cheeger-Müller Theorem for Symmetric Bilinear Torsions

The authors establish a Cheeger-Müller type theorem for the complex valued analytic torsion introduced by Burghelea and Hailer for fiat vector bundles carrying non- degenerate symmetric bilinear forms. As a consequence, they prove the Burghelea-Haller conjecture in full generality, which gives an analytic interpretation of (the square of) the Turaev torsion.     

A Cheeger-M¨uller Theorem for Symmetric Bilinear Torsions

The authors establish a Cheeger-Müller type theorem for the complex valued analytic torsion introduced by Burghelea and Hailer for fiat vector bundles carrying nondegenerate symmetric bilinear forms. As a consequence, they prove the Burghelea-Haller conjecture in full generality, which gives an analytic interpretation of （the square of） the Turaev torsion.     

Torsion of differentials on toric varieties

We introduce an invariant for semigroups with cancellation property. When the semigroup equals the set of lattice points in a rational, polyhedral cone, then this invariant describes the torsion of the differential sheaf on the associated toric variety. Finally, as an example, we present the case of two-dimensional cones (corresponding to two-dimensional cyclic quotient singularities).     

Twisted Alexander norms give lower bounds on the Thurston norm

We introduce twisted Alexander norms of a compact connected orientable 3-manifold with first Betti number greater than one, generalizing norms of McMullen and Turaev. We show that twisted Alexander norms give lower bounds on the Thurston norm of a 3-manifold. Using these we completely determine the Thurston norm of many 3-manifolds which are not determined by norms of McMullen and Turaev.

     

The Turaev genus of an adequate knot

The Turaev genus of a knot is an obstruction to the knot being alternating. An adequate knot is a generalization of an alternating knot. A natural problem is a characterization of the Turaev genus of an adequate knot. In this paper, we show that the Turaev genus of an adequate knot is realized by the genus of the Turaev surface associated to an adequate diagram of the knot using the Khovanov homology. As a result, we obtain the additivity of the Turaev genus of adequate knots, and show that the Turaev genus of an adequate knot is “often” preserved under mutation. We also show that an n-semi-alternating knot is of Turaev genus n. This is the first examples of adequate knots of Turaev genus two or more.     

Singular continuous spectrum for a class of nonprimitive substitution Schrödinger operators

We present a class of discrete Schrödinger operators, with potentials derived from nonprimitive substitutions, that has purely singular continuous spectrum. We give sufficient conditions on the substitution rule assuring singular continuous spectrum, either for a generic set in the hull of the potential or for a set of total invariant measure.

     

On the Natanzon-Turaev compactification of the Hurwitz space

Natanzon and Turaev have constructed by topological methods a compactification of the Hurwitz space, that is, the space of simple branched covers of the two-sphere. Here we show that this compactification is homeomorphic to a compactification mentioned by Diaz and Edidin (in 1996) that was constructed by algebraic methods. Using this we are able to show by example that the Natanzon-Turaev compactification can be singular, that is, not a manifold.

     

A Heegaard-type presentation of branched spines and the Reidemeister–Turaev torsion

Branched spines of three-manifolds can be used to represent the homotopy class of vector fields on the ambient manifolds. In this paper, we introduce a way to present branched spines as Heegaard-type diagrams, punctured Heegaard diagrams, and explain a way to compute the Reidemeister–Turaev torsion using these diagrams.     

Absolute torsion and eta-invariant

In a recent joint work with V. Turaev [6], we defined a new concept of combinatorial torsion which we called absolute torsion. Compared with the classical Reidemeister torsion, it has the advantage of having a well-determined sign. Also, the absolute torsion is defined for arbitrary orientable flat vector bundles, and not only for unimodular ones, as is classical Reidemeister torsion. In this paper I show that the sign behavior of the absolute torsion, under a continuous deformation of the flat bundle, is determined by the eta-invariant and the Pontrjagin classes. This result has a twofold significance. Firstly, it justifies the definition of the absolute torsion by establishing a relation to the well-known geometric invariants of manifolds. Viewed differently, the result of this paper allows to express (partially) the eta-invariant, which is defined using analytic tools, in terms of the absolute torsion, having a purely topological definition. The result may find applications in studying the spectral flow by methods of combinatorial topology. Received January 11, 1999; in final form August 16, 1999     

Reidemeister torsion for linear representations and Seifert surgery on knots

We study an invariant of a 3-manifold which consists of Reidemeister torsion for linear representations which pass through a finite group. We show a Dehn surgery formula on this invariant and compute that of a Seifert manifold over S². As a consequence we obtain a necessary condition for a result of Dehn surgery along a knot to be Seifert fibered, which can be applied even in a case where abelian Reidemeister torsion gives no information.     

Reidemeister–Turaev torsion of 3-dimensional¶Euler structures with simple boundary tangency¶and pseudo-Legendrian knots

We generalize Turaev's definition of torsion invariants of pairs (M,&\xi;), where M is a 3-dimensional manifold and &\xi; is an Euler structure on M (a non-singular vector field up to homotopy relative to ∂M and modifications supported in a ball contained in Int(M)). Namely, we allow M to have arbitrary boundary and &\xi; to have simple (convex and/or concave) tangency circles to the boundary. We prove that Turaev's H ₁(M)-equivariance formula holds also in our generalized context. Using branched standard spines to encode vector fields we show how to explicitly invert Turaev's reconstruction map from combinatorial to smooth Euler structures, thus making the computation of torsions a more effective one. Euler structures of the sort we consider naturally arise in the study of pseudo-Legendrian knots (i.e.~knots transversal to a given vector field), and hence of Legendrian knots in contact 3-manifolds. We show that torsion, as an absolute invariant, contains a lifting to pseudo-Legendrian knots of the classical Alexander invariant. We also precisely analyze the information carried by torsion as a relative invariant of pseudo-Legendrian knots which are framed-isotopic. Received: 3 October 2000 / Revised version: 20 April 2001     

Complex-valued Ray-Singer torsion

In the spirit of Ray and Singer we define a complex-valued analytic torsion using non-selfadjoint Laplacians. We establish an anomaly formula which permits to turn this into a topological invariant. Conjecturally this analytically defined invariant computes the complex-valued Reidemeister torsion, including its phase. We establish this conjecture in some non-trivial situations.