arXiv research

We review the SO(3) instanton gauge theory of Fintushel and Stern and recast it in the context of 4-manifolds with cylindrical ends. Appli- cations to the Z/2-homology cobordism group of Z/2-homology 3-spheres are given.

In this paper we define and investigate Z/2-homology cobordism invariants of Z/2-homology 3-spheres which turn out to be related to classical invariants of knots. As an application we show that many lens spaces have infinite order in the Z/2-homology cobordism group and we prove a lower bound for the slice genus of a k…

In this note we present an explicit isomorphism between Khovanov-Rozansky $sl_2$-homology and ordinary Khovanov homology. This result was originally stated in Khovanov and Rozansky's paper \cite{KRI}, though the details have yet to appear in the literature. The main missing detail is providing a coherent choice of sign…

The paper examines how edge subdivisions affect the vanishing of $L^2$-homology in Coxeter groups.

Given a Coxeter system (W,S), there is an associated CW-complex, Sigma, on which W acts properly and cocompactly. We prove that when the nerve L of (W,S) is a flag triangulation of the 3-sphere, then the reduced $\ell^2$-homology of Sigma vanishes in all but the middle dimension.

Method calculates $\mathbb{Z}_2$-Thurston norm for Seifert 3-manifolds using pseudo-horizontal surfaces.

Let M be a compact connected orientable 3-manifold, with non-empty boundary that contains no 2-spheres. We investigate the existence of two properly embedded disjoint surfaces S_1 and S_2 such that M - (S_1 \cup S_2) is connected. We show that there exist two such surfaces if and only if M is neither a Z_2 homology sol…

In his 1930 paper, Kuratowksi categorized planar graphs, proving that a finite graph $Γ$ is planar if and only if it does not contain a subgraph that is homeomorphic to $K_5$, the complete graph on 5 vertices, or $K_{3,3}$, the complete bipartite graph on six vertices. In their 2001 paper, Davis and Okun point out that…

We show that 4-dimensional conjugation manifolds are all obtained from branched 2-fold coverings of knotted surfaces in Z/2-homology 4-spheres.

In this note we show the following result using the integral-geometric formula of R. Howard: Consider the totally geodesic $\mathbb{R}P^{2m}$ in $\mathbb{C}P^n$. Then it minimizes volume among the isotropic submanifolds in the same $\mathbb{Z}/2$ homology class in $\mathbb{C}P^n$ (but not among all submanifolds in this…

Developed Gompf connected sum for orbifolds, constructing symplectic and K-contact manifolds.

For any irreducible compact homogeneous Kähler manifold, we classify the compact tight Lagrangian submanifolds which have the Z_2-homology of a sphere.

The Tait conjecture states that reduced alternating diagrams of links in S^3 have the minimal number of crossings. It has been proved in 1987 by M. Thistlethwaite, L.H. Kauffman and K. Murasugi studying the Jones polynomial. In this paper we prove an analogous result for alternating links in S^1xS^2 giving a complete a…

Smooth approximation of integral cycles mod 2 in Riemannian manifolds.

Smoothly isotopic surfaces in a 4-manifold are stable isotopic if trivial in the 2-homology.

For n at least 3, let SAut(F_n) denote the unique subgroup of index two in the automorphism group of a free group. The standard linear action of SL(n,Z) on R^n induces non-trivial actions of SAut(F_n) on R^n and on S^{n-1}. We prove that SAut(F_n) admits no non-trivial actions by homeomorphisms on acyclic manifolds or …

Study uses graph Laplacians to analyze surface links.

Any continuous action of SL(n,Z), where n > 2, on a r-dimensional mod 2 homology sphere factors through a finite group action if r < n - 1. In particular, any continuous action of SL(n+2,Z) on the n-dimensional sphere factors through a finite group action.

Bott and Samuelson constructed explicit cycles representing a basis of the Z_2-homology of the orbits of variationally complete representations of compact Lie groups. As a consequence, all those orbits are taut. We were able to show that an irreducible representation of a compact Lie group, all of whose orbits are taut…

In this paper, we suggest a construction of determinant lines of finitely generated Hilbertian modules over finite von Neumann algebras. Nonzero elements of the determinant lines can be viewed as volume forms on the Hilbertian modules. Using this, we study both $L^2$ combinatorial and $L^2$ analytic torsion invariants …

In this paper we show that every degree 2 homology class of a 2n-dimensional symplectic manifold is represented by an immersed symplectic surface if it has positive symplectic area. Moreover, the symplectic surface can be chosen to be embedded if 2n is at least 6. We also analyze the additional conditions under which e…

The group SL(n,Z) admits a smooth faithful action on the (n-1)-sphere S^(n-1), induced from its linear action on euclidean space R^n. We show that, if m < n-1 and n > 2, any smooth action of SL(n,Z) on a mod 2 homology m-sphere, and in particular on the m-sphere S^m, is trivial.

We use recoupling theory to study the Kauffman bracket skein module of the quaternionic manifold over Z[A,A^{-1}] localized by inverting all the cyclotomic polynomials. We prove that the skein module is spanned by five elements. Using the quantum invariants of these skein elements and the Z_2 homology of the manifold, …

For every positive integer $n$ we construct a bigraded homology theory for links, such that the corresponding invariant of the unknot is closely related to the U(n)-equivariant cohomology ring of $\mathbb{CP}^{n-1}$; our construction specializes to the Khovanov-Rozansky $sl_n$-homology. We are motivated by the "univers…

The study determines $\mathbb{Z}_2$-Thurston norms in Sol manifolds and embeds non-orientable surfaces.

No Lagrangian Klein bottles found in $S^2 imes S^2$.

Associated to any finite flag complex L there is a right-angled Coxeter group W_L and a cubical complex Σ_L on which W_L acts properly and cocompactly. Its two most salient features are that (1) the link of each vertex of Σ_L is L and (2) Σ_L is contractible. It follows that if L is a triangulation of S^{n-1}, then Σ_L…

We investigate the properties of knots in S^3 which bound Klein bottles, such that a pushoff of the knot has zero linking number with the knot, i.e. has zero framing. This is motivated by the many results in the literature regarding slice knots of genus one, for example, the existence of homologically essential zero se…

We give a proof of the Singer conjecture (on the vanishing of reduced $\ell^2$-homology except in the middle dimension) for the Davis Complex $Σ$ associated to a Coxeter system $(W,S)$ whose nerve $L$ is a triangulation of $\mathbb{S}^2$. We show that it follows from a theorem of Andreev, which gives the necessary and …

We construct closed symplectic manifolds for which spherical classes generate arbitrarily large subspaces in 2-homology, such that the first Chern class and cohomology class of the symplectic form both vanish on all spherical classes. We construct both Kaehler and non-Kaehler examples, and show independence of the cond…

It is shown that an embedded Lagrangian Klein bottle represents a non-trivial mod 2 homology class in a compact symplectic four-manifold $(X,ω)$ with $c_1(X)\cdot[ω]>0$. (In versions 1 and 2, the last assumption was missing. A counterexample to this general claim and the first proof of the corrected result have been fo…

Proves connection between $\ell^2$-Betti numbers and BNSR invariants.

Under certain homological hypotheses on a compact 4-manifold, we prove exactness of the topological surgery sequence at the stably smoothable normal invariants. The main examples are the class of finite connected sums of 4-manifolds with certain product geometries. Most of these compact manifolds have non-vanishing sec…

We construct a bigraded (co)homology theory which depends on a parameter a, and whose graded Euler characteristic is the quantum sl(2) link invariant. We follow Bar-Natan's approach to tangles on one side, and Khovanov's sl(3) theory for foams on the other side. Our theory is properly functorial under tangle cobordisms…

Let $G$ be a group with a finite subgroup $H$. We define the $L^2$-multiplicity of an irreducible representation of $H$ in the $L^2$-homology of a proper $G$-CW-complex. These invariants generalize the $L^2$-Betti numbers. Our main results are approximation theorems for $L^2$-multiplicities which extend the approximati…

In this paper we prove the following. Let $Σ$ be an $n$--dimensional closed hyperbolic manifold and let $g$ be a Riemannian metric on $Σ\times \mathbb{S}^1$. Given an upper bound on the volumes of unit balls in the Riemannian universal cover $(\widetilde{Σ\times \mathbb{S}^1},\widetilde{g})$, we get a lower bound on th…

Our main result is a generalization of Cappell's 5-dimensional splitting theorem. As an application, we analyze, up to internal s-cobordism, the smoothable splitting and fibering problems for certain 5-manifolds mapping to the circle. For example, these maps may have homotopy fibers which are in the class of finite con…

We generalize the methods in previous work to provide a program for proving Singer's Conjecture for Coxeter systems. Specifically, we consider even Coxeter systems with nerves that are flag triangulations of $\BS^{n-1}$, $n=2k$. We prove that Singer's Conjecture in dimensions $n-2$ and $n-1$, along with the vanishing o…

This paper continues math.DG/9903140. Here we construct a linking form on the torsion part of middle dimensional extended L^2 homology and cohomology of odd-dimensional manifolds. We give a geometric necessary condition when this linking form is hyperbolic. We compute this linking form in case when the manifold bounds.…

Floer constructs homology from flow lines in generalized dynamical systems and combinatorial vector fields.

Let $M$ be an $n$-vertex combinatorial triangulation of a $\ZZ_2$-homology $d$-sphere. In this paper we prove that if $n \leq d + 8$ then $M$ must be a combinatorial sphere. Further, if $n = d + 9$ and $M$ is not a combinatorial sphere then $M$ can not admit any proper bistellar move. Existence of a 12-vertex triangula…

Given a 2-stranded tangle in a $\ZZ/2$ homology ball, $T\subset Y$, we investigate the character variety $R(Y,T)$ of conjugacy classes of traceless SU(2) representations of $π_1(Y\setminus T)$. In particular we completely determine the subspace of binary dihedral representations, and identify all of $R(Y,T)$ for many t…

If M is a closed simple 3-manifold whose fundamental group contains a genus-g surface group for some g>1, and if the dimension of H_1(M;Z_2) is at least max(3g-1,6), we show that M contains a closed, incompressible surface of genus at most g. This improves the main topological result of part I, in which the the same co…

For a surface $F$, the Kauffman bracket skein module of $F \times [0,1]$, denoted $K(F)$, admits a natural multiplication which makes it an algebra. When specialized at a complex number $t$, nonzero and not a root of unity, we have $K_t(F)$, a vector space over $\mathbb{C}$. In this paper, we will use the product-to-su…

Researchers identify graph components for unicellular collections.

The Tait conjecture states that alternating reduced diagrams of links in S^3 have the minimal number of crossings. It has been proved in 1987 by M. Thistlethwaite, L. Kauffman and K. Murasugi studying the Jones polynomial. The author proved an analogous result for alternating links in S^1xS^2 giving a complete answer t…

Unified framework for studying Torelli group and congruence subgroup maps.

Let $\mathbb{F}_{Θ}=G/P_{Θ}$ be a generalized flag manifold, where $G$ is a real noncompact semi-simple Lie group and $P_{Θ}$ a parabolic subgroup. A classical result says the Schubert cells, which are the closure of the Bruhat cells, endow $\mathbb{F}_Θ$ with a cellular CW structure. In this paper we exhibit explicit …