Higher-order polynomial invariants of 3-manifolds giving lower bounds for the Thurston norm

We define an infinite sequence of new invariants, δ_n, of a group G that measure the size of the successive quotients of the derived series of G. In the case that G is the fundamental group of a 3-manifold, we obtain new 3-manifold invariants. These invariants are closely related to the topology of the 3-manifold. They give lower bounds for the Thurston norm which provide better estimates than the bound established by McMullen using the Alexander norm. We also show that the δ_n give obstructions to a 3-manifold fibering over S¹ and to a 3-manifold being Seifert fibered. Moreover, we show that the δ_n give computable algebraic obstructions to a 4-manifold of the form X×S¹ admitting a symplectic structure even when the obstructions given by the Seiberg-Witten invariants fail. There are also applications to the minimal ropelength and genera of knots and links in S³.     

Isomorphism of the Groups of Vassiliev Invariants of Legendrian and Pseudo-Legendrian Knots

The study of the Vassiliev invariants of Legendrian knots was started by D. Fuchs and S. Tabachnikov who showed that the groups of C-valued Vassiliev invariants of Legendrian and of framed knots in the standard contact R³ are canonically isomorphic. Recently we constructed the first examples of contact 3-manifolds where Vassiliev invariants of Legendrian and of framed knots are different. Moreover in these examples Vassiliev invariants of Legendrian knots distinguish Legendrian knots that are isotopic as framed knots and homotopic as Legendrian immersions. This raised the question what information about Legendrian knots can be captured using Vassiliev invariants. Here we answer this question by showing that for any contact 3-manifold with a cooriented contact structure the groups of Vassiliev invariants of Legendrian knots and of knots that are nowhere tangent to a vector field that coorients the contact structure are canonically isomorphic.     

Measurable Categories and 2-Groups

Using the theory of measurable categories developed in [10], we provide a notion of representations of 2-groups better suited to physically and geometrically interesting examples than that using 2-VECT (cf. [8]). Using this theory we sketch a 2-categorical approach to the state-sum model for Lorentzian quantum gravity proposed in [6], and suggest state-integral constructions for 4-manifold invariants.     

Integral lattices in TQFT

We find explicit bases for naturally defined lattices over a ring of algebraic integers in the SO(3)-TQFT-modules of surfaces at roots of unity of odd prime order. Some applications relating quantum invariants to classical 3-manifold topology are given.     

The Alexander polynomial and finite type 3-manifold invariants

Using elementary counting methods, we calculate a universal perturbative invariant (also known as the LMO invariant) of a 3-manifold M, satisfying , in terms of the Alexander polynomial of M. We show that +1 surgery on a knot in the 3-sphere induces an injective map from finite type invariants of integral homology 3-spheres to finite type invariants of knots. We also show that weight systems of degree 2m on knots, obtained by applying finite type 3m invariants of integral homology 3-spheres, lie in the algebra of Alexander-Conway weight systems, thus answering the questions raised in [Ga]. Received: 27 April 1998 / in final form: 8 August 1999     

Regular homotopy classes of immersions of 3-manifolds into 5-space

 We give geometric formulae which enable us to detect (completely in some cases) the regular homotopy class of an immersion with trivial normal bundle of a closed oriented 3-manifold into 5-space. These are analogues of the geometric formulae for the Smale invariants due to Ekholm and the second author. As a corollary, we show that two embeddings into 5-space of a closed oriented 3-manifold with no 2-torsion in the second cohomology are regularly homotopic if and only if they have Seifert surfaces with the same signature. We also show that there exist two embeddings $F_0$ and of the 3-torus T ³ with the following properties: (1) is regularly homotopic to F ₈ for some immersion , and (2) the immersion h as above cannot be chosen from a regular homotopy class containing an embedding. Received: 29 March 2001     

The higher geometric invariants for groups with sufficient commutativity

The higher geometric invariants ∑ ^k (G;Z) and ∑ ^k (G) of [BR] and [Re 1], [Re 2] are examined for groups satisfying certain commutativity relations. The main application computes these invariants for direct products of 1-relator or 3-manifold groups.     

Ricci curvature, minimal volumes, and Seiberg-Witten theory

We derive new, sharp lower bounds for certain curvature functionals on the space of Riemannian metrics of a smooth compact 4-manifold with non-trivial Seiberg-Witten invariants. These allow one, for example, to exactly compute the infimum of the L ²-norm of Ricci curvature for any complex surface of general type. We are also able to show that the standard metric on any complex-hyperbolic 4-manifold minimizes volume among all metrics satisfying a point-wise lower bound on sectional curvature plus suitable multiples of the scalar curvature. These estimates also imply new non-existence results for Einstein metrics. Oblatum 14-III-2000 & 8-II-2001?Published online: 4 May 2001     

Ideal Turaev-Viro invariants

Turaev-Viro invariants are defined via state sum polynomials associated to a special spine or a triangulation of a compact 3-manifold. By evaluation of the state sum at any solution of the so-called Biedenharn-Elliott equations, one obtains a homeomorphism invariant of the manifold (“numerical Turaev-Viro invariant”). The Biedenharn-Elliott equations define a polynomial ideal. The key observation of this paper is that the coset of the state sum polynomial with respect to that ideal is a homeomorphism invariant of the manifold (“ideal Turaev-Viro invariant”), stronger than the numerical Turaev-Viro invariants. Using computer algebra, we obtain computational results on several examples of ideal Turaev-Viro invariants, for all closed orientable irreducible manifolds of complexity at most 9.     

Invariants of real symplectic 4-manifolds and lower bounds in real enumerative geometry

We first build the moduli spaces of real rational pseudo-holomorphic curves in a given real symplectic 4-manifold. Then, following the approach of Gromov and Witten [3, 19, 11], we define invariants under deformation of real symplectic 4-manifolds. These invariants provide lower bounds for the number of real rational J-holomorphic curves which realize a given homology class and pass through a given real configuration of points. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 14N10, 14P25, 53D05, 53D45     

Vassiliev invariants and the Poincaré conjecture

This article examines the relationship between 3-manifold topology and knot invariants of finite type. We prove that in every Whitehead manifold there exist knots that cannot be distinguished by Vassiliev invariants. If, on the other hand, Vassiliev invariants distinguish knots in each homotopy sphere, then the Poincaré conjecture is true (i.e. every homotopy 3-sphere is homeomorphic to the standard 3-sphere).     

Covering numbers of manifolds and critical points of a morse function

For a closed connected triangulatedn-manifoldM, we study some numerical invariants (namedcategory andcovering numbers) ofM which are strictly related to the topological structure ofM. We complete the classical results of 3-manifold topology and then we prove some characterization theorems in higher dimensions. Finally some applications are given about the minimal number of critical points (resp. values) of Morse functions defined on a closed connected smoothn-manifold. Work performed under the auspices of the G.N.S.A.G.A. of the C.N.R. and financially supported by the M.P.I. of Italy within the project “Geometria delle Varietà Differenziabili”.     

Lie algebras in symmetric monoidal categories

We study the algebras that are defined by identities in the symmetric monoidal categories; in particular, the Lie algebras. Some examples of these algebras appear in studying the knot invariants and the Rozansky-Witten invariants. The main result is the proof of the Westbury conjecture for a K3-surface: there exists a homomorphism from a universal simple Vogel algebra into a Lie algebra that describes the Rozansky-Witten invariants of a K3-surface. We construct a language that is necessary for discussing and solving this problem, and we formulate nine new problems.     

Constructing integrable systems of semitoric type

Let (M, ω) be a connected, symplectic 4-manifold. A semitoric integrable system on (M, ω) essentially consists of a pair of independent, real-valued, smooth functions J and H on M, for which J generates a Hamiltonian circle action under which H is invariant. In this paper we give a general method to construct, starting from a collection of five ingredients, a symplectic 4-manifold equipped a semitoric integrable system. Then we show that every semitoric integrable system on a symplectic 4-manifold is obtained in this fashion. In conjunction with the uniqueness theorem proved recently by the authors, this gives a classification of semitoric integrable systems on 4-manifolds, in terms of five invariants.     

Semitoric integrable systems on symplectic 4-manifolds

Let (M,ω) be a symplectic 4-manifold. A semitoric integrable system on (M,ω) is a pair of smooth functions J,H∈C ^∞(M,ℝ) for which J generates a Hamiltonian S ¹-action and the Poisson brackets {J,H} vanish. We shall introduce new global symplectic invariants for these systems; some of these invariants encode topological or geometric aspects, while others encode analytical information about the singularities and how they stand with respect to the system. Our goal is to prove that a semitoric system is completely determined by the invariants we introduce. A. Pelayo was partially supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship.     

Catégories prémodulaires, modularisations et invariants des variétés de dimension 3

An abelian k-linear semisimple category having a finite number of simple objects, and endowed with a ribbon structure, is called premodular. It is modular (in the sense of Turaev) if the so-called S-matrix is invertible. A modular category defines invariants of 3-manifolds and a TQFT ([T]). When is it possible to construct a modularisation of a given premodular category, i.e. a functor to a modular category preserving the structures and ‘dominant’ in a certain sense? It turns out (2.3) that this amounts essentially to making ‘transparent’ objects trivial. We give a full answer to this problem in the case when k is a field of char. 0 (as well as partial answers in char. p): under a few obvious hypotheses, a premodular category admits a modularisation, which is unique (th. 3.1, and cor. 3.5 in char. 0) The proof relies on two main ingredients: a new and very simple criterion for the S-matrix to be invertible (1.1) and Deligne's internal characterization of tannakian categories in char. 0 [D]. When simple transparent objects are invertible, the criterion is simpler (4.2) and the modularisation can be described more explicitly (prop. 4.4). We conclude with two examples: the premodular categories associated with quantum and at roots of unity; in the first case, we obtain modular categories which were built independently by C. Blanchet [B]; in the second case, we obtain modularizations in all the cases where Y. Yokota [Y] found Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of 3-manifolds, thereby improving as well as explaining Yokota's results.

Re?u le: 14 juillet 1998 / version définitive: 28 mars 1999     

Some invariants of spin manifolds

The Rochlin invariant of a compact 3-manifold with a fixed spin structure can be generalized to high dimensions. This paper explores these generalized Rochlin invariants and shows that they are spectral invariants.     

Continuity of Thurston's length function

A measured lamination μ geodesically realized in a hyperbolic 3-manifold M has a well-defined average length, due to W. Thurston. For we prove that the function measuring the average length of the maximal realizable sublamination of μ varies bicontinuously in M and μ. Since connected, positive, non-realizable measured laminations arise as zeros of the length function, its continuity suggests new behavioral features of quasi-isometry invariants under limits of hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Submitted: November 1998, Revised version: February 2000, Final version: May 2000.     

Complete topological invariants of Morse-Smale flows and handle decompositions of 3-manifolds

We construct a topological invariant for the canonical decomposition on prime and round handles associated with a Morse-Smale flow on a closed 3-manifold. We prove that the flows are topologically equivalent if and only if their invariants coincide. __________ Translated from Fundamentalnaya i Prikladnaya Matematika, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 185–196, 2005.     

Families of simply connected 4-manifolds with the same Seiberg-Witten invariants

This article presents several new constructions of infinite families of smooth 4-manifolds with the property that any two manifolds in the same family are homeomorphic. While the construction gives strong evidence that any two of these manifolds of are not diffeomorphic, they cannot be distinguished by Seiberg-Witten invariants. Whether these manifolds are, or are not, diffeomorphic seems to be a very difficult question to answer. For one of these constructions, each member of the family is symplectic with the further property that each contains nullhomologous tori with the property that infinitely many log transformations on these tori yield nonsymplectic 4-manifolds. This is detected by calculations of Seiberg-Witten invariants. The surgery in question can be performed on any 4-manifold which contains as a codimension 0 submanifold a punctured surface bundle over a punctured surface and a nontrivial loop in the base which has trivial monodromy. A starting point for another class of examples in this paper is a family of examples which show that the Parshin-Arakelov theorem for holomorphic Lefschetz fibrations is false in the symplectic category. Such families are constructed by means of knot surgery on ellipitic surfaces. It is shown that for a fixed homeomorphism type X (of a simply connected elliptic surface) and a fixed integer g?3, there are infinitely many genus g Lefschetz fibrations on nondiffeomorphic 4-manifolds, all homeomorphic to X.