Given a knot in 3-space, one can associate a sequence of Laurrent polynomials, whose $n$th term is the $n$th colored Jones polynomial. The Generalized Volume Conjecture states that the value of the $n$-th colored Jones polynomial at $\exp(2 πi \a/n)$ is a sequence of complex numbers that grows exponentially, for a fixed real angle $\a$. Moreover the exponential growth rate of this sequence is proportional to the volume of the 3-manifold obtained by $(1/\a,0)$ Dehn filling. In this paper we will prove that (a) for every knot, the limsup in the hyperbolic volume conjecture is finite and bounded above by an exponential function that depends on the number of crossings. (b) Moreover, for every knot $K$ there exists a positive real number $\a(K)$ (which depends on the number of crossings of the knot) such that the Generalized Volume Conjecture holds for $\a \in [0, \a(K))$. Finally, we point out that a theorem of Agol-Storm-W.Thurston proves that the bounds in (a) are optimal, given by knots obtained by closing large chunks of the weave.
We propose to generalize the volume conjecture to knotted trivalent graphs and we prove the conjecture for all augmented knotted trivalent graphs. As a corollary we find that for any link L there is a link containing L for which the volume conjecture holds.
In this article, we give a rough, and so not complete yet, proof of Kashaev's conjecture, that is, the volume conjecture for hyperbolic knots, where the hyperbolicity equations associated to knot diagrams appear as the stationary phase equations for Kashaev's invariants.
We establish the volume conjecture for (m,2)-cables of the figure 8 knot, when m is odd. For (m,2)-cables of general knots where m is even, we show that the limit in the volume conjecture depends on the parity of the color (of the Kashaev invariant). There are many cases when the volume conjecture for cables of the figure 8 knot is false if one considers all the colors, but holds true if one restricts the colors to a subset of the set of positive integers.
This is a survey of our work on Quantum Hyperbolic Invariants (QHI) of 3-manifolds. We explain how the theory of scissors congruence classes is a powerful geometric framework for QHI and for a `Volume Conjecture' to make sense.
We compute the asymptotical growth rate of a large family of $U_q(sl_2)$ $6j$-symbols and we interpret our results in geometric terms by relating them to volumes of hyperbolic truncated tetrahedra. We address a question which is strictly related with S.Gukov's generalized volume conjecture and deals with the case of hyperbolic links in connected sums of $S^2\times S^1$. We answer this question for the infinite family of fundamental shadow links.
Loosely speaking, the Volume Conjecture states that the limit of the n-th colored Jones polynomial of a hyperbolic knot, evaluated at the primitive complex n-th root of unity is a sequence of complex numbers that grows exponentially. Moreover, the exponential growth rate is proportional to the hyperbolic volume of the knot. We provide an efficient formula for the colored Jones function of the simplest hyperbolic non-2-bridge knot, and using this formula, we provide numerical evidence for the Hyperbolic Volume Conjecture for the simplest hyperbolic non-2-bridge knot.
We prove the volume conjecture for an infinite family of links called Whitehead chains that generalizes both the Whitehead link and the Borromean rings.
We show that the Volume Conjecture for polyhedra implies a weak version of the Stoker Conjecture; in turn we prove that this weak version of the Stoker conjecture implies the Stoker conjecture. The main tool used is an extension of a result of Montcouquiol and Weiss, saying that dihedral angles are local coordinates for compact polyhedra with angles $\leq π$.
The volume conjecture states that for a hyperbolic knot K in the three-sphere S^3 the asymptotic growth of the colored Jones polynomial of K is governed by the hyperbolic volume of the knot complement S^3\K. The conjecture relates two topological invariants, one combinatorial and one geometric, in a very nonobvious, nontrivial manner. The goal of the present lectures is to review the original statement of the volume conjecture and its recent extensions and generalizations, and to show how, in the most general context, the conjecture can be understood in terms of topological quantum field theor…
In this report I discuss the relations between systoles and volumes of hyperbolic manifolds and a conjecture of Lehmer about the Mahler measure of non-cyclotomic polynomials.
Using Ohtsuki's method, we prove the Asymptotic Expansion Conjecture and the Volume Conjecture of the Reshetikhin-Turaev and the Turev-Viro invariants for all hyperbolic $3$-manifolds obtained by doing a Dehn-surgery along the figure-$8$ knot.
This is an introduction to the Volume Conjecture and its generalizations for nonexperts. The Volume Conjecture states that a certain limit of the colored Jones polynomial of a knot would give the volume of its complement. If we deform the parameter of the colored Jones polynomial we also conjecture that it would also give the volume and the Chern-Simons invariant of a three-manifold obtained by Dehn surgery determined by the parameter. I start with a definition of the colored Jones polynomial and include elementary examples and short description of elementary hyperbolic geometry.
A technique to calculate the colored Jones polynomials of satellite knots, illustrated by the Whitehead doubles of knots, is presented. Then we prove the volume conjecture for Whitehead doubles of a family of torus knots and show some interesting observations.
We propose a version of the volume conjecture that would relate a certain limit of the colored Jones polynomials of a knot to the volume function defined by a representation of the fundamental group of the knot complement to the special linear group of degree two over complex numbers. We also confirm the conjecture for the figure-eight knot and torus knots. This version is different from S. Gukov's because of a choice of polarization.
We first study superpolynomial associated to triply-graded reduced colored HOMFLY-PT homology. We propose conjectures of congruent relations and cyclotomic expansion for it. We prove conjecture of $N=1$ for torus knot case, through which we obtain the corresponding invariant $α(T(m,n))=-(m-1)(n-1)/2$. This is closely related to the Milnor conjecture. Many examples including homologically thick knots and higher representations are also tested. Based on these examples, we further propose a conjecture that invariant $α$ determined in cyclotomic expansion at $N=1$ is a lower bound for smooth 4-bal…
We extend the definition of the colored Jones polynomials to framed links and trivalent graphs in S^3 # k S^2 X S^1 using a state-sum formulation based on Turaev's shadows. Then, we prove that the natural extension of the Volume Conjecture is true for an infinite family of hyperbolic links.
We show that the set of colored Jones polynomials and the set of generalized Alexander polynomials defined by Akutsu, Deguchi and Ohtsuki intersect non-trivially. Moreover it is shown that the intersection is (at least includes) the set of Kashaev's quantum dilogarithm invariants for links. Therefore Kashaev's conjecture can be restated as follows: The colored Jones polynomials determine the hyperbolic volume for a hyperbolic knot. Modifying this, we propose a stronger conjecture: The colored Jones polynomials determine the simplicial volume for any knot. If our conjecture is true, then we can…
In this note, I will discuss a possible relation between the Mahler measure of the colored Jones polynomial and the volume conjecture. In particular, I will study the colored Jones polynomial of the figure-eight knot on the unit circle. I will also propose a method to prove the volume conjecture for satellites of the figure-eight knot.
To a knot in 3-space, one can associate a sequence of Laurent polynomials, whose $n$th term is the $n$th colored Jones polynomial. The Volume Conjecture for small angles states that the value of the $n$-th colored Jones polynomial at $e^{\a/n}$ is a sequence of complex numbers that grows subexponentially, for a fixed small complex angle $\a$. In an earlier publication, the authors proved the Volume Conjecture for small purely imaginary angles, using estimates of the cyclotomic expansion of a knot. The goal of the present paper is to identify the polynomial growth rate of the above sequence to …
We establish the second part of Milnor's conjecture on the volume of simplexes in hyperbolic and spherical spaces. A characterization of the closure of the space of the angle Gram matrices of simplexes is also obtained.
The generalized volume conjecture relates asymptotic behavior of the colored Jones polynomials to objects naturally defined on an algebraic curve, the zero locus of the A-polynomial $A(x,y)$. Another "family version" of the volume conjecture depends on a quantization parameter, usually denoted $q$ or $\hbar$; this quantum volume conjecture (also known as the AJ-conjecture) can be stated in a form of a q-difference equation that annihilates the colored Jones polynomials and $SL(2,\C)$ Chern-Simons partition functions. We propose refinements / categorifications of both conjectures that include a…
In this paper we give an introduction to the volume conjecture and its generalizations. Especially we discuss relations of the asymptotic behaviors of the colored Jones polynomials of a knot with different parameters to representations of the fundamental group of the knot complement at the special linear group over complex numbers by taking the figure-eight knot and torus knots as examples.
We study quantum invariant Z(M) for cusped hyperbolic 3-manifold M. We construct this invariant based on oriented ideal triangulation of M by assigning to each tetrahedron the quantum dilogarithm function, which is introduced by Faddeev in studies of the modular double of the quantum group. Following Thurston and Neumann-Zagier, we deform a complete hyperbolic structure of M, and correspondingly we define quantum invariant Z(M_u). This quantum invariant is shown to give the Neumann--Zagier potential function in the classical limit, and the A-polynomial can be derived from the potential functio…
Let $P$ be a simple polytope of dimension $n$ with $m$ facets and $P_{v}$ be a polytope obtained from $P$ by cutting off one vertex $v$. Let $Z=Z(P)$ and $Z_{v}=Z(P_{v})$ be the corresponding moment-angle manifolds. In \cite{[GL]} S.Gitler and S.López conjectured that: $Z_{v}$ is diffeomorphic to $\partial[(Z-int(D^{n+m}))\times D^{2}]\sharp \mathop{\sharp} \limits_{j=1}^{m-n} \binom{m-n}{j} (S^{j+2}\times S^{m+n-j-1})$, and they have proved the conjecture in the case $m<3n$. In this paper we prove the conjecture in general case.
We prove the Turaev-Viro invariants volume conjecture for a "universal" class of cusped hyperbolic 3-manifolds that produces all 3-manifolds with empty or toroidal boundary by Dehn filling. This leads to two-sided bounds on the volume of any hyperbolic 3-manifold with empty or toroidal boundary in terms of the growth rate of the Turaev-Viro invariants of the complement of an appropriate link contained in the manifold. We also provide evidence for a conjecture of Andersen, Masbaum and Ueno (AMU conjecture) about certain quantum representations of surface mapping class groups. A key step in our …
The generalized volume conjecture and the AJ conjecture (a.k.a. the quantum volume conjecture) are extended to $U_q(\fraksl_2)$ colored quantum invariants of the theta and tetrahedron graph. The $\SL(2,\bC)$ character variety of the fundamental group of the complement of a trivalent graph with $E$ edges in $S^3$ is a Lagrangian subvariety of the Hitchin moduli space over the Riemann surface of genus $g=E/3+1$. For the theta and tetrahedron graph, we conjecture that the configuration of the character variety is locally determined by large color asymptotics of the quantum invariants of the triva…
We propose an approach to find constant curvature metrics on triangulated closed 3-manifolds using a finite dimensional variational method whose energy function is the volume. The concept of an angle structure on a tetrahedron and on a triangulated closed 3-manifold is introduced following the work of Casson, Murakami and Rivin. It is proved by A. Kitaev and the author that any closed 3-manifold has a triangulation supporting an angle structure. The moduli space of all angle structures on a triangulated 3-manifold is a bounded open convex polytope in a Euclidean space. The volume of an angle s…
In 2015, Chen and Yang proposed a volume conjecture that stated that certain Turaev-Viro invariants of an hyperbolic 3-manifold should grow exponentially with a rate equal to the hyperbolic volume. Since then, this conjecture has been proven or numerically tested for several hyperbolic 3-manifolds, either closed or with boundary, the boundary being either a family of tori or a family of higher genus surfaces. The current paper now provides new numerical checks of this volume conjecture for 3-manifolds with one toroidal boundary component and one geodesic boundary component. More precisely, we …
We formulate a generalization of the volume conjecture for planar graphs. Denoting by <G, c> the Kauffman bracket of the graph G whose edges are decorated by real "colors" c, the conjecture states that, under suitable conditions, certain evaluations of <G,kc> grow exponentially as k goes to infinity and the growth rate is the volume of a truncated hyperbolic hyperideal polyhedron whose one-skeleton is G (up to a local modification around all the vertices) and with dihedral angles given by c. We provide evidence for it, by deriving a system of recursions for the Kauffman brackets of planar grap…
This paper discuss an intrinsic relation among congruent relations \cite{CLPZ}, cyclotomic expansion and Volume Conjecture for $SU(n)$ invariants. Motivated by the congruent relations for $SU(n)$ invariants obtained in our previous work \cite{CLPZ}, we study certain limits of the $SU(n)$ invariants at various roots of unit. First, we prove a new symmetry property for the $SU(n)$ invariants by using a symmetry of colored HOMFLYPT invariants. Then we propose some conjectural formulas including the cyclotomic expansion conjecture and volume conjecture for $SU(n)$ invariants (specialization of col…
In this paper, we study the generalized volume conjecture for the colored Jones polynomials of links with complements containing more than one hyperbolic piece. First of all, we construct an infinite family of prime links by considering the cabling on the figure eight knot by the Whitehead chains. The complement of these links consist of two hyperbolic pieces in their JSJ decompositions. We show that at the $(N+\frac{1}{2})$-th root of unity, the exponential growth rates for the $\vec{N}$-th colored Jones polynomials for these links capture the simplicial volume of the link complements. As an …
We propose an extension of the recently-proposed volume conjecture for closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds, to all orders in perturbative expansion. We first derive formulas for the perturbative expansion of the partition function of complex Chern-Simons theory around a hyperbolic flat connection, which produces infinitely-many perturbative invariants of the closed oriented 3-manifold. The conjecture is that this expansion coincides with the perturbative expansion of the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants at roots of unity $q=e^{2 πi/r}$ with $r$ odd, in the limit $r \to \infty$. We provide numeri…
We construct a new infinite family of ideal triangulations and H-triangulations for the complements of twist knots, using a method originating from Thurston. These triangulations provide a new upper bound for the Matveev complexity of twist knot complements. We then prove that these ideal triangulations are geometric. The proof uses techniques of Futer and the second author, which consist in studying the volume functional on the polyhedron of angle structures. Finally, we use these triangulations to compute explicitly the partition function of the Teichmüller TQFT and to prove the associated v…
We examine the conjecture, due to Champanerkar, Kofman, and Purcell that $\text{vol}(K) < 2 π\log \det (K)$ for alternating hyperbolic links, where $\text{vol}(K) = \text{vol}(S^3\backslash K)$ is the hyperbolic volume and $\det(K)$ is the determinant of $K$. We prove that the conjecture holds for 2-bridge links, alternating 3-braids, and various other infinite families. We show the conjecture holds for highly twisted links and quantify this by showing the conjecture holds when the crossing number of $K$ exceeds some function of the twist number of $K$.
We study the alternating subspace of holomorphic sections of a special prequantum line bundle over SU(2)-character variety of torus, and show that it is isomorphic to the projective representation of mapping class group of peripheral torus given by the SO(3) Witten-Chern-Simons theory. We conjecture that the large r asymptotics of $L^2$-norm of SO(3)-knot states via geometric quantization capture the simplicial volume of knot complements.
We use a large census of hyperbolic 3-manifolds to experimentally investigate a conjecture of Neumann regarding the Bloch Group. We present an augmented census including, for feasible invariant trace fields, explicit manifolds (associated to that field) that appear to generate the Bloch group of that field. We also make use of Ptolemy coordinates to compute "exotic volumes" of representations, and attempt to realize these volumes as linear combinations of generator volumes. We thus present a large body of empirical support for Neumann's conjecture.
We obtain a formula for the Turaev-Viro invariants of a link complement in terms of values of the colored Jones polynomial of the link. As an application we give the first examples for which the volume conjecture of Chen and the third named author\,\cite{Chen-Yang} is verified. Namely, we show that the asymptotics of the Turaev-Viro invariants of the Figure-eight knot and the Borromean rings complement determine the corresponding hyperbolic volumes. Our calculations also exhibit new phenomena of asymptotic behavior of values of the colored Jones polynomials that seem not to be predicted by nei…
In his paper "On the Schlafli differential equality", J. Milnor conjectured that the volume of n-dimensional hyperbolic and spherical simplices, as a function of the dihedral angles, extends continuously to the closure of the space of allowable angles (``The continuity conjecture''), and furthermore, the limit at a boundary point is equal to 0 if and only if the point lies in the closure of the space of angles of Euclidean tetrahedra (``the Vanishing Conjecture''). A proof of the Continuity Conjecture was given by F. Luo -- Luo's argument uses Kneser's formula for the volume together with some…
We conjecture that for every dimension n not equal 3 there exists a noncompact hyperbolic n-manifold whose volume is smaller than the volume of any compact hyperbolic n-manifold. For dimensions n at most 4 and n=6 this conjecture follows from the known results. In this paper we show that the conjecture is true for arithmetic hyperbolic n-manifolds of dimension n at least 30.
We consider the asymptotics of the Turaev-Viro and the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of a hyperbolic $3$-manifold, evaluated at the root of unity $\exp({2π\sqrt{-1}}/{r})$ instead of the standard $\exp({π\sqrt{-1}}/{r})$. We present evidence that, as $r$ tends to $\infty$, these invariants grow exponentially with growth rates respectively given by the hyperbolic and the complex volume of the manifold. This reveals an asymptotic behavior that is different from that of Witten's Asymptotic Expansion Conjecture, which predicts polynomial growth of these invariants when evaluated at the standard ro…
We prove an upper bound for the evaluation of all classical SU(2) spin networks conjectured by Garoufalidis and van der Veen. This implies one half of the analogue of the volume conjecture which they proposed for classical spin networks. We are also able to obtain the other half, namely, an exact determination of the spectral radius, for the special class of generalized drum graphs. Our proof uses a version of Feynman diagram calculus which we developed as a tool for the interpretation of the symbolic method of classical invariant theory, in a manner which is rigorous yet true to the spirit of…
In his paper "On the Schlafli differential equality", J. Milnor conjectured that the volume of n-dimensional hyperbolic and spherical simplices, as a function of the dihedral angles, extends continuously to the closure of the space of allowable angles. A proof of this has recently been given by F. Luo (see math.GT/0412208). In this paper we give a simple proof of this conjecture, prove much sharper regularity results, and then extend the method to apply to a large class of convex polytopes. The simplex argument works without change in dimensions greater than 3 (and for spherical simplices in a…
In this paper, by using the regulator map of Beilinson-Deligne on a curve, we show that the quantization condition posed by Gukov is true for the SL_2(C) character variety of the hyperbolic knot in S^3. Furthermore, we prove that the corresponding $\mathbb{C}^{*}$-valued closed 1-form is a secondary characteristic class (Chern-Simons) arising from the vanishing first Chern class of the flat line bundle over the smooth part of the character variety, where the flat line bundle is the pullback of the universal Heisenberg line bundle over $\mathbb{C}^{*}\times \mathbb{C}^{*}$. Based on this result…
We suggest a method of computing volume for a simple polytope $P$ in three-dimensional hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^3$. This method combines the combinatorial reduction of $P$ as a trivalent graph $Γ$ (the $1$-skeleton of $P$) by $I-H$, or Whitehead, moves (together with shrinking of triangular faces) aligned with its geometric splitting into generalised tetrahedra. With each decomposition (under some conditions) we associate a potential function $Φ$ such that the volume of $P$ can be expressed through a critical values of $Φ$. The results of our numeric experiments with this method suggest th…
