The Neumann-Siebenmann invariant and Seifert surgery

We discuss some relations between the invariant originated in Fukumoto-Furuta and the Neumann-Siebenmann invariant for the Seifert rational homology 3-spheres. We give certain constraints on Seifert 3-manifolds to be obtained by surgery on knots in homology 3-spheres in terms of these invariants.Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 57M27, 57N13, 57N10Dedicated to Professor Yukio Matsumoto for his 60^th birthday     

Invariant sets and measures of nonexpansive group automorphisms

We write a formula for the LMO invariant of a rational homology sphere presented as a rational surgery on a link inS ³. Our main tool is a careful use of the Århus integral and the (now proven) “Wheels” and “Wheeling” conjectures of B-N, Garoufalidis, Rozansky and Thurston. As steps, side benefits and asides we give explicit formulas for the values of the Kontsevich integral on the Hopf link and on Hopf chains, and for the LMO invariant of lens spaces and Seifert fibered spaces. We find that the LMO invariant does not separate lens spaces, is far from separating general Seifert fibered spaces, but does separate Seifert fibered spaces which are integral homology spheres.     

Analytic torsion versus Reidemeister torsion on hyperbolic 3-manifolds with cusps

For a non-compact hyperbolic 3-manifold with cusps we prove an explicit formula that relates the regularized analytic torsion associated to the even symmetric powers of the standard representation of \(\mathrm{SL }_2(\mathbb {C})\) to the corresponding Reidemeister torsion. While the analytic torsion is a spectral invariant of the manifold, the Reidemeister torsion is of combinatorial nature. Our proof rests on an expression of the analytic torsion in terms of special values of Ruelle zeta functions as well as on recent work of Pere Menal-Ferrer and Joan Porti.     

Cobordism of disk knots

We study cobordisms and cobordisms rel boundary of PL locally-flat disk knots D ⁿ⁻² ↪ D ⁿ . Any two disk knots are cobordant if the cobordisms are not required to fix the boundary sphere knots, and any two even-dimensional disk knots with isotopic boundary knots are cobordant rel boundary. However, the cobordism rel boundary theory of odd-dimensional disk knots is more subtle. Generalizing results of J. Levine on the cobordism of sphere knots, we define disk knot Seifert matrices and show that two higher-dimensional disk knots with isotopic boundaries are cobordant rel boundary if and only if their disk knot Seifert matrices are algebraically cobordant. We also ask which algebraic cobordism classes can be realized given a fixed boundary knot and provide a complete classification when the boundary knot has no 2-torsion in its middle-dimensional Alexander module. In the course of this classification, we establish a close connection between the Blanchfield pairing of a disk knot and the Farber-Levine torsion pairing of its boundary knot (in fact, for disk knots satisfying certain connectivity assumptions, the disk knot Blanchfield pairing will determine the boundary Farber-Levine pairing). In addition, we study the dependence of disk knot Seifert matrices on choices of Seifert surface, demonstrating that all such Seifert matrices are rationally S-equivalent, but not necessarily integrally S-equivalent.     

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.     

Reidemeister torsion and the K-theory of von Neumann algebras

We introduce a topological-type invariant for a cocompact properly discontinuous action of a discrete group on a Riemannian manifold generalizing classical notions of Reidemeister torsion. It takes values in the weak algebraic K-theory of the von Neumann algebra of . We give basic tools for its computation like sum and product formulas and calculate it in several cases. It encompasses, for instance, the Alexander polynomial and is related to analytic torsion.     

Groups with small Dehn functions and bipartite chord diagrams

We introduce a new invariant of bipartite chord diagrams and use it to construct the first examples of groups with Dehn function n²log n. Some of these groups have undecidable conjugacy problem. Our groups are multiple HNN extensions of free groups. We show that n²log n is the smallest Dehn function of a multiple HNN extension of a free group with undecidable conjugacy problem. Both authors were supported in part by the NSF grants DMS 0245600 and DMS 0455881. In addition, the research of the first author was supported in part by the Russian Fund for Basic Research 05-01-00895, the research of the second author was supported in part by the NSF grant DMS 9978802 and the US-Israeli BSF grant 1999298. Received: February 2005; Revision: September 2005; Accepted: September 2005     

On the knot complement problem for non-hyperbolic knots

This paper explicitly provides two exhaustive and infinite families of pairs (M,k), where M is a lens space and k is a non-hyperbolic knot in M, which produces a manifold homeomorphic to M, by a non-trivial Dehn surgery. Then, we observe the uniqueness of such knot in such lens space, the uniqueness of the slope, and that there is no preserving homeomorphism between the initial and the final M's. We obtain further that Seifert fibered knots, except for the axes, and satellite knots are determined by their complements in lens spaces. An easy application shows that non-hyperbolic knots are determined by their complement in atoroidal and irreducible Seifert fibered 3-manifolds.     

On Dehn Functions of Infinite Presentations of Groups

We introduce two new types of Dehn functions of group presentations which seem more suitable (than the standard Dehn function) for infinite group presentations and prove the fundamental equivalence between the solvability of the word problem for a group presentation defined by a decidable set of defining words and the property of being computable for one of the newly introduced functions (this equivalence fails for the standard Dehn function). Elaborating on this equivalence and making use of this function, we obtain a characterization of finitely generated groups for which the word problem can be solved in nondeterministic polynomial time. We also give upper bounds for these functions, as well as for the standard Dehn function, for two well-known periodic groups. In particular, we prove that the (standard) Dehn function of a 2-group Γ of intermediate growth, defined by a system of defining relators due to Lysenok, is bounded from above by C₁x² log₂ x, where C₁ > 1 is a constant. We also show that the (standard) Dehn function of a free m-generator Burnside group B(m, n) of exponent n ≥ 2⁴⁸, where n is either odd or divisible by 2⁹, defined by a minimal system of defining relators, is bounded from above by the subquadratic function x^19/12. Received: September 2007, Revision: March 2008, Accepted: March 2008     

Complexity of Geometric Three-manifolds

We compute for all orientable irreducible geometric 3-manifolds certain complexity functions that approximate from above Matveev's natural complexity, known to be equal to the minimal number of tetrahedra in a triangulation. We can show that the upper bounds on Matveev's complexity implied by our computations are sharp for thousands of manifolds, and we conjecture they are for infinitely many, including all Seifert manifolds. Our computations and estimates apply to all the Dehn fillings of M 6 ₁ ³ (the complement of the three-component chain-link, conjectured to be the smallest triply cusped hyperbolic manifold), whence to infinitely many among the smallest closed hyperbolic manifolds. Our computations are based on the machinery of the decomposition into ‘bricks’ of irreducible manifolds, developed in a previous paper. As an application of our results we completely describe the geometry of all 3-manifolds of complexity up to 9.     

A note on reidemeister torsion and period matrix of Riemann surfaces

We consider compact Riemann surfaces Σ _g with genus at least 2. We explain the relation between the Reidemeister torsion of Σ _g and its period matrix.     

On Fubini-Study form and Reidemeister torsion

For a general chain complex (C_*,_∂*), one can associate the Reidemeister torsion of it. We prove the relation between Reidemeister torsion and Fubini-Study 2-form ωFS of the complex projective space CPn.     

Zeta-determinant and torsion functions on Riemann surfaces of finite volume

We define ζ-determinant andL ²-analytic torsion functions for a Riemann surface of finite volume. We use the Selberg trace formula to express these determinant and torsion functions in terms of four Zeta functions which are related to the structure of discrete groups. A new invariant is also obtained.     

Seifert fibered surgeries with distinct primitive/Seifert positions

We call a pair (K,m) of a knot K in the 3-sphere S³ and an integer m a Seifert fibered surgery if m-surgery on K yields a Seifert fiber space. For most known Seifert fibered surgeries (K,m), K can be embedded in a genus 2 Heegaard surface of S³ in a primitive/Seifert position, the concept introduced by Dean as a natural extension of primitive/primitive position defined by Berge. Recently Guntel has given an infinite family of Seifert fibered surgeries each of which has distinct primitive/Seifert positions. In this paper we give yet other infinite families of Seifert fibered surgeries with distinct primitive/Seifert positions from a different point of view.     

On the quantum filtration of the Khovanov-Rozansky cohomology

We prove the quantum filtration on the Khovanov-Rozansky link cohomology Hp with a general degree (n+1) monic potential polynomial p(x) is invariant under Reidemeister moves, and construct a spectral sequence converging to Hp that is invariant under Reidemeister moves, whose E₁ term is isomorphic to the Khovanov-Rozansky sl(n)-cohomology Hn. Then we define a generalization of the Rasmussen invariant, and study some of its properties. We also discuss relations between upper bounds of the self-linking number of transversal links in standard contact S³.     

On free $${\mathbb{Z}_{p}}$$ actions on products of spheres

In this paper we consider free actions of large prime order cyclic groups on the product of any number of spheres of the same odd dimension and on products of two spheres of differing odd dimensions. We require only that the action be free on the product as a whole and not each sphere separately. In particular we determine equivariant homotopy type, and for both linear actions and for even numbers of spheres the simple homotopy type and simple structure sets. The results are compared to the analysis and classification done for lens spaces. Similar to lens spaces, the first k-invariant generally determines the homotopy type of many of the quotient spaces, however, the Reidemeister torsion frequently vanishes and many of the homotopy equivalent spaces are also simple homotopy equivalent. Unlike lens spaces, which are determined by their ρ-invariant and Reidemeister torsion, the ρ-invariant here vanishes for even numbers of spheres and linear actions and the Pontrjagin classes become p-localized homeomorphism invariants for a given dimension. The cohomology classes, Pontrjagin classes, and sets of normal invariants are computed in the process.     

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     

An extended Cheeger-Müller theorem for covering spaces

We generalize a theorem of Bismut-Zhang, which extends the Cheeger-Müller theorem on Ray-Singer torsion and Reidemeister torsion, to the case of infinite Galois covering spaces. Our result is stated in the framework of extended cohomology, and generalizes in this case a recent result of Braverman-Carey-Farber-Mathai. It does not use the determinant class condition and thus also (potentially) generalizes several results on L²-torsions due to Burghelea, Friedlander, Kappeler and McDonald. We combine the framework developed by Braverman-Carey-Farber-Mathai on the determinant of extended cohomology with the heat kernel method developed in the original paper of Bismut-Zhang to prove our result.     

Isolated exceptional Dehn surgeries on hyperbolic knots

For a hyperbolic knot in the 3-sphere, at most finitely many Dehn surgeries yield non-hyperbolic manifolds. Such exceptional surgeries are classified into four types, lens space surgery, small Seifert fibered surgery, toroidal surgery and reducing surgery, according to the resulting manifolds. For each of the three types except reducing surgery, we give infinitely many hyperbolic knots with integral exceptional Dehn surgeries of the given type, whose adjacent integral surgeries are not exceptional.