We show that (under mild assumptions) the generating function of log homology torsion of a knot exterior has a meromorphic continuation to the entire complex plane. As corollaries, this gives new proofs of (a) the Silver-Williams asymptotic, (b) Fried's theorem on reconstructing the Alexander polynomial (c) Gordon's theorem on periodic homology. Our results generalize to other rank 1 growth phenomena, e.g. Reidemeister-Franz torsion growth for higher-dimensional knots. We also analyze the exceptional cases where the meromorphic continuation does not exist.
When does the amount of torsion in the homology of an arithmetic group grow exponentially with the covolume? We give many examples where this is so, and conjecture precise conditions.
Let M be an arithmetic hyperbolic 3-manifold, such as a Bianchi manifold. We conjecture that there is a basis for the second homology of M, where each basis element is represented by a surface of `low' genus, and give evidence for this. We explain the relationship between this conjecture and the study of torsion homology growth.
In the first few homological gradings, there is an isomorphism between the Khovanov homology of a link and the categorification of the chromatic polynomial of a graph related to the link. In this article, we show that the categorification of the chromatic polynomial only contains torsion of order two, and hence Khovanov homology only contains torsion of order two in the gradings where the isomorphism is defined. We also prove that odd Khovanov homology is torsion-free in its first few homological gradings.
In the Khovanov homology of links, presence of $\mathbb{Z}_2$-torsion is a very common phenomenon. Finite number of examples of knots with $\mathbb{Z}_n$-torsion for $n>2$ were also known, none for $n>8$. In this paper, we prove that there are infinite families of links whose Khovanov homology contains $\mathbb{Z}_n$-torsion for $2 < n < 9$ and $\mathbb{Z}_{2^s}$-torsion for $s < 24$. We also introduce $4$-braid links with $\mathbb{Z}_3$-torsion which are counterexamples to the PS braid conjecture. We also provide an infinite family of knots with $\mathbb{Z}_5$-torsion in reduced Khovanov homo…
In this note, we show that if there is a knot in $S^3$ having $\mathbb{Z}_m$ torsion in its Khovanov homology, then there are infinitely many hyperbolic knots and infinitely many prime satellite knots having $\mathbb{Z}_m$ torsion in their Khovanov homology. As an application, we give the first known examples of hyperbolic knots and links with odd (and other non-$\mathbb{Z}_2$ torsion) in their Khovanov homology.
This short note resolves the most important part of the PS braid conjecture while introducing the first known examples of knots and links with odd torsion of order 9, 27, 81, and 25 in their even Khovanov homology.
We prove that the mod Z reduction of the torsion of a rational homology 3-sphere is completely determined by three data: a certain canonical spin^c structure, the linking form and a Q/Z-valued constant c. This constant is a new topological invariant of the rational homology sphere. Experimentations with lens spaces suggest this constant may be as powerful an invariant as the torsion itself.
It is a classical result in reduced homology of finite groups that the order of a group annihilates its homology. Similarly, we have proved that the torsion subgroup of rack and quandle homology of a finite quasigroup quandle is annihilated by its order. However, it does not hold for connected quandles in general. In this paper, we define an $m$-almost quasigroup ($m$-AQ) quandle which is a generalization of a quasigroup quandle and study annihilation of torsion in its rack and quandle homology groups.
We give an upper bound for the growth of homology torsions of finite coverings of irreducible 3-manifolds with tori boundary in terms of hyperbolic volume.
We study upper bounds for the torsion in homology of nonuniform arithmetic lattices. Together with recent results of Calegari-Venkatesh, this can be used to obtain upper bounds on K2 of the ring of integers of totally imaginary fields.
We show some computations on representations of the fundamental group in SL(2;C) and Reidemeister torsion for a homology 3-sphere obtained by Dehn surgery along the figure-eight knot. This is the second version. We recorrected several errors in the first version.
This paper continues our exploration of homology cobordism of 3-manifolds using our recent results on Cheeger-Gromov rho-invariants associated to amenable representations. We introduce a new type of torsion in 3-manifold groups we call hidden torsion, and an algebraic approximation we call local hidden torsion. We construct infinitely many hyperbolic 3-manifolds which have local hidden torsion in the transfinite lower central subgroup. By realizing Cheeger-Gromov invariants over amenable groups, we show that our hyperbolic 3-manifolds are not pairwise homology cobordant, yet remain indistingui…
We show that Lück's conjecture on torsion growth in homology implies that two 3-manifolds have equal volume if the fundamental groups have the same set of finite quotients.
We construct a variant of Floer homology groups and prove a gluing formula for a variant of Donaldson invariants. As a corollary, the variant of Donaldson invariants is non-trivial for connected sums of 4-manifolds which satisfy a condition for Donaldson invariants. We also show a non-existence result of compact, spin 4-manifolds with boundary some homology 3-spheres and with certain intersection forms.
Magnitude homology is a bigraded homology theory for finite graphs defined by Hepworth and Willerton, categorifying the power series invariant known as magnitude which was introduced by Leinster. We analyze the structure and implications of torsion in magnitude homology. We show that any finitely generated abelian group may appear as a subgroup of the magnitude homology of a graph, and, in particular, that torsion of a given prime order can appear in the magnitude homology of a graph and that there are infinitely many such graphs. Finally, we provide complete computations of magnitude homology…
The one-term distributive homology was introduced by J.H.Przytycki as an atomic replacement of rack and quandle homology, which was first introduced and developed by R.Fenn, C.Rourke and B.Sanderson, and J.S.Carter, S.Kamada and M.Saito. This homology was initially suspected to be torsion-free, but we show in this paper that the one-term homology of a finite spindle can have torsion. We carefully analyze spindles of block decomposition of type (n,1) and introduce various techniques to compute their homology precisely. In addition, we show that any finite group can appear as the torsion subgrou…
Khovanov homology is a recently introduced invariant of oriented links in $\mathbb{R}^3$. It categorifies the Jones polynomial in the sense that the (graded) Euler characteristic of the Khovanov homology is a version of the Jones polynomial for links. In this paper we study torsion of the Khovanov homology. Based on our calculations, we formulate several conjectures about the torsion and prove weaker versions of the first two of them. In particular, we prove that all non-split alternating links have their integer Khovanov homology almost determined by the Jones polynomial and signature. The on…
In a recent paper, Dimca and Nemethi pose the problem of finding a homogeneous polynomial f such that the homology of the complement of the hypersurface defined by f is torsion-free, but the homology of the Milnor fiber of f has torsion. We prove that this is indeed possible, and show by construction that, for each prime p, there is a polynomial with p-torsion in the homology of the Milnor fiber. The techniques make use of properties of characteristic varieties of hyperplane arrangements.
Let $M_n$ be a homology 3-sphere obtained by $\frac1n$-Dehn surgery along a $(p,q)$-torus knot. We consider a polynomial $σ_{(p,q,n)}(t)$ whose zeros are the inverses of the Reideimeister torsion of $M_n$ for $\mathit{SL}(2;\mathbb{C})$-irreducible representations. We give an explicit formula of this polynomial by using Tchebychev polynomials of the first kind. Further we also give a 3-term relations of these polynomials.
Let $N$ be a prime 3-manifold that is not a closed graph manifold. Building on a result of Hongbin Sun and using a result of Asaf Hadari we show that for every $k\in\Bbb{N}$ there exists a finite cover $\tilde{N}$ of $N$ such that $|\operatorname{Tor} H_1(\tilde{N};\Bbb{Z})|>k$.
We prove that every $\mathbb{Z}_2$H-thin link has no $2^k$-torsion for $k>1$ in its Khovanov homology. Together with previous results by Eun Soo Lee and the author, this implies that integer Khovanov homology of non-split alternating links is completely determined by the Jones polynomial and signature. Our proof is based on establishing an algebraic relation between Bockstein and Turner differentials on Khovanov homology over $\mathbb{Z}_2$. We conjecture that a similar relation exists between the corresponding spectral sequences.
We partially solve the conjecture by A.Shumakovitch about torsion in the Khovanov homology of prime, non-split links in S^3. We give a size restriction on the Khovanov homology of almost alternating links. We relate the Khovanov homology of the connected sum of a link diagram and the Hopf link with the Khovanov homology of the diagram via a short exact sequence of homology which splits. Finally we show that our results can be adapted to reduced Khovanov homology and we show that there is a long exact sequence connecting reduced Khovanov homology with unreduced homology.
Khovanov homology for knots has generated a flurry of activity in the topology community. This paper studies the Khovanov type cohomology for graphs with a special attention to torsions. When the underlying algebra is $\mathbb{Z}[x]/(x^2)$, we determine precisely those graphs whose cohomology contains torsion. For a larger class of algebras, we show that torsion often occurs. Our investigation of torsion led to other related general results. The ideas of this paper could potentially be used to predict the Khovanov-Rozansky $sl(m)$ homology of knots (in particular $(2,n)$ torus knots). We also …
We outline Hutchings's prescription that produces an ECH analog of Latschev and Wendl's algebraic $k$-torsion in the context of $ech$, a variant of ECH used in a proof of the isomorphism between Heegaard Floer and Seiberg-Witten Floer homologies; and we explain how it translates into Heegaard Floer homology.
Let K be a (2p,q)-torus knot and M_n is a 3-manifold obtained by 1/n-Dehn surgery along K. We consider a polynomial whose zeros are the inverses of the Reideimeister torsion of M_n for SL(2;C)-irreducible representations. Johnson gave a formula for the case of the (2,3)-torus knot under some modification and normalization. We generalize this formula by using Tchebychev polynomials.
Let $G$ be the group of complex points of a real semi-simple Lie group whose fundamental rank is equal to 1, e.g. $G= \SL_2 (\C) \times \SL_2 (\C)$ or $\SL_3 (\C)$. Then the fundamental rank of $G$ is $2,$ and according to the conjecture made in \cite{BV}, lattices in $G$ should have 'little' --- in the very weak sense of 'subexponential in the co-volume' --- torsion homology. Using base change, we exhibit sequences of lattices where the torsion homology grows exponentially with the \emph{square root} of the volume. This is deduced from a general theorem that compares twisted and untwisted $L^…
Given an oriented rational homology 3-sphere M, it is known how to associate to any Spin^c-structure σon M two quadratic functions over the linking pairing. One quadratic function is derived from the reduction modulo 1 of the Reidemeister-Turaev torsion of (M,σ), while the other one can be defined using the intersection pairing of an appropriate compact oriented 4-manifold with boundary M. In this paper, using surgery presentations of the manifold M, we prove that those two quadratic functions coincide. Our proof relies on the comparison between two distinct combinatorial descriptions of Spin^…
As is well-known, the homology groups of the complement of a complex hyperplane arrangement are torsion-free. Nevertheless, as we showed in a recent paper [arXiv:1209.3414] the homology groups of the Milnor fiber of such an arrangement can have non-trivial integer torsion. We give here a brief account of the techniques that go into proving this result, outline some of its applications, and indicate some further questions that it brings to light.
Let S be an orientable surface with negative Euler characteristic, let ψ\in\Mod(S) be a mapping class of S, and let T_ψ be the mapping torus of ψ. We study the action of lifts of ψon the homology of finite covers of S via the torsion homology growth of towers of finite covers of T_ψ. We show that ψadmits a lift to a finite cover with a homological eigenvalue of length greater than one if and only if the mapping torus T_ψ admits a finite cover X and a certain tower of abelian covers which have exponential torsion homology growth. We show that the existence of such a lift of ψis intrinsic to T_ψ…
We construct hyperbolic integer homology 3-spheres where the injectivity radius is arbitrarily large for nearly all points of the manifold. As a consequence, there exists a sequence of closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds which Benjamini-Schramm converge to H^3 whose normalized Ray-Singer analytic torsions do not converge to the L^2-analytic torsion of H^3. This contrasts with the work of Abert et. al. who showed that Benjamini-Schramm convergence forces convergence of normalized betti numbers. Our results shed light on a conjecture of Bergeron and Venkatesh on the growth of torsion in the homology o…
We prove that if Q is a finite quasigroup quandle, then |Q| annihilates the torsion of its homology. It is a classical result in reduced homology of finite groups that the order of a group annihilates its homology. From the very beginning of the rack homology (between 1990 and 1995) the analogous result was suspected. The first general results in this direction were obtained independently about 2001 by R.A.Litherland and S.Nelson, and P.Etingof and M.Grana. In Litherland-Nelson paper it is proven that if (Q;*) is a finite homogeneous rack (this includes quasigroup racks) then the torsion of ho…
Given a Heegaard splitting of a closed 3-manifold, the skein modules of the two handlebodies are modules over the skein algebra of their common boundary surface. The zeroth Hochschild homology of the skein algebra of a surface with coefficients in the tensor product of the skein modules of two handlebodies is interpreted as the skein module of the 3-manifold obtained by gluing the two handlebodies together along this surface. A spectral sequence associated to the Hochschild complex is constructed and conditions are given for the existence of algebraic torsion in the skein module of this 3-mani…
Given a connected cobordism between two knots in the 3-sphere, our main result is an inequality involving torsion orders of the knot Floer homology of the knots, and the number of local maxima and the genus of the cobordism. This has several topological applications: The torsion order gives lower bounds on the bridge index and the band-unlinking number of a knot, the fusion number of a ribbon knot, and the number of minima appearing in a slice disk of a knot. It also gives a lower bound on the number of bands appearing in a ribbon concordance between two knots. Our bounds on the bridge index a…
We prove that the mod $2$ Betti numbers of double coverings of a complex hyperplane arrangement complement are combinatorially determined. The proof is based on a relation between the mod $2$ Aomoto complex and the transfer long exact sequence. Applying the above result to the icosidodecahedral arrangement ($16$ planes in the three dimensional space related to the icosidodecahedron), we conclude that the first homology of the Milnor fiber has non-trivial $2$-torsion.
For a connected cobordism S between two knots K1,K2 in S3, we establish an inequality involving the number of local maxima, the genus of S, and the torsion orders of Kht(K1),Kht(K2), where Kht denotes Lee's perturbation of Khovanov homology. This shows that the torsion order gives a lower bound for the band-unlinking number.
For every rational homology 3-sphere with 2-torsion only we construct a unified invariant (which takes values in a certain cyclotomic completion of a polynomial ring), such that the evaluation of this invariant at any odd root of unity provides the SO(3) Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant at this root and at any even root of unity the SU(2) quantum invariant. Moreover, this unified invariant splits into a sum of the refined unified invariants dominating spin and cohomological refinements of quantum SU(2) invariants. New results on the Ohtsuki series and the integrality of quantum invariants a…
Some aspects of the construction of SW Floer homology for manifolds with non-trivial rational homology are analyzed. In particular, the case of manifolds that are obtained as zero-surgery on a knot in a homology sphere, and for torsion spinc structures. We discuss relative invariants in the case of torsion spinc structures.
We generalize a result of the author about the classification of 1-connected 7-manifolds and demonstrate its use by two concrete applications, one to 2-connected 7-manifolds (a new proof -- and slightly different formulation -- of an up to now unpublished Theorem by Crowley and Nordstroem and one to simply connected 7-manifolds with the cohomology ring of $S^2 \times S^5 \sharp S^3 \times S^4$. The answer is in terms of generalized Kreck-Stolz invariants, which in the case of 2-connected 7-manifolds is equivalent to a quadratic refinement of the linking form and a generalized Eells-Kuiper inva…
We prove a conjecture of K. Schmidt in algebraic dynamical system theory on the growth of the number of components of fixed point sets. We also generalize a result of Silver and Williams on the growth of homology torsions of finite abelian covering of link complements. In both cases, the growth is expressed by the Mahler measure of the first non-zero Alexander polynomial of the corresponding modules. We use the notion of pseudo-isomorphism, and also tools from commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, to reduce the conjectures to the case of torsion modules. We also describe concrete sequenc…
We prove new vanishing results on the growth of higher torsion homologies for suitable arithmetic lattices, Artin groups and mapping class groups. The growth is understood along Farber sequences, in particular, along residual chains. For principal congruence subgroups, we also obtain strong asymptotic bounds for the torsion growth. As a central tool, we introduce a quantitative homotopical method called effective rebuilding. This constructs small classifying spaces of finite index subgroups, at the same time controlling the complexity of the homotopy. The method easily applies to free abelian …
