A splitting formula for the spectral flow of the odd signature operator on 3-manifolds coupled to a path of SU(2) connections

Splitting numbers and signatures

The splitting number of a link is the minimal number of crossing changes between different components required to convert it into a split link. We obtain a lower bound on the splitting number in terms of the (multivariable) signature and nullity. Although very elementary and easy to compute, this bound turns out to be suprisingly efficient. In particular, it makes it a routine check to recover the splitting number of 129 out of the 130 prime links with at most 9 crossings. Also, we easily determine 16 of the 17 splitting numbers that were studied by Batson and Seed using Khovanov homology, and…

Exotic Smooth Structures on Small 4-Manifolds with Odd Signatures

Let $M$ be $\CP#2\CPb$, $3\CP#4\CPb$ or $(2n-1)\CP#2n\CPb$ for any integer $n\geq 3$. We construct an irreducible symplectic 4-manifold homeomorphic to $M$ and also an infinite family of pairwise non-diffeomorphic irreducible non-symplectic 4-manifolds homeomorphic to $M$. We also construct such exotic smooth structures when $M$ is $\CP#4\CPb$ or $3\CP# k \CPb$ for $k=6,8,10$.

Normalizing Heegaard-Scharlemann-Thompson Splittings

We define a Heegaard-Scharlemann-Thompson (HST) splitting of a 3-manifold M to be a sequence of pairwise-disjoint, embedded surfaces, {F_i}, such that for each odd value of i, F_i is a Heegaard splitting of the submanifold of M cobounded by F_{i-1} and F_{i+1}. Our main result is the following: Suppose M (\neq B^3 or S^3) is an irreducible submanifold of a triangulated 3-manifold, bounded by a normal or almost normal surface, and containing at most one maximal normal 2-sphere. If {F_i} is a strongly irreducible HST splitting of M then we may isotope it so that for each even value of i the surf…

Index type invariants for twisted signature complexes and homotopy invariance

For a closed, oriented, odd dimensional manifold $X$, we define the rho invariant $ρ(X,E,H)$ for the twisted odd signature operator valued in a flat hermitian vector bundle $E$, where $H = \sum i^{j+1} H_{2j+1}$ is an odd-degree closed differential form on $X$ and $H_{2j+1}$ is a real-valued differential form of degree ${2j+1}$. We show that the twisted rho invariant $ρ(X,E,H)$ is independent of the choice of metrics on $X$ and $E$ and of the representative $H$ in the cohomology class $[H]$. We establish some basic functorial properties of the twisted rho invariant. We express the twisted eta …

Splitting criteria for a definite 4-manifold with infinite cyclic fundamental group

Two criteria for a closed connected definite 4-manifold with infinite cyclic fundamental group to be TOP-split are given. One criterion extends a sufficient condition made in a previous paper. The result is equivalent to a purely algebraic result on the question asking when a positive definite Hermitian form over the ring of integral one-variable Laurent polynomials is represented by an integer matrix. As an application, an infinite family of orthogonally indecomposable unimodular odd definite symmetric $Z$-forms is produced.

TQFT的符号与双桥结的迹域

Signatures of TQFTs and trace fields of two-bridge knots

本文证明了支配SO$_3$ TQFT符号的Frobenius代数包含双桥结的迹域，揭示了低维拓扑中两个先验无关对象间的有趣关系。