On abelian quantum invariants of links in 3-manifolds

From a finite abelian group G, a quadratic form onG and an element in , we define a topological invariant of a pair(M,L) where is a closed oriented 3-manifold and L an oriented, framedn-component link inM. The main result consists in an explicit formula for this invariant, based on a reciprocity formula for Gauss sums, which features a special linking pairing. This pairing depends on both the quadratic form q and the linking pairing of M. A necessary and sufficient condition for the invariant to vanish is described in terms of a characteristic class for this pairing. We also discuss torsion spin-structures and related structures which appear in this context. Received May 13, 1998 / Accepted November 11, 1999 / Published online February 5, 2001