We classify the path-components of the space of circle-valued Morse functions on compact surfaces: two Morse functions $f, g: M\to S^1$ belong to same path-component of this space if and only if they are homotopic and have equal numbers of critical points at each index.
Murasugi sums can be defined as readily for Morse maps to the circle of (arbitrary) link complements in the 3-sphere as for fibrations over the circle of (fibered) link complements in the 3-sphere. As one application, I show that if a knot K has free genus m, then there is a Morse map from its complement to the circle (representing the relative homology class of a Seifert surface for K) with no more than 4m critical points.
We show that the Morse boundary of a right-angled Coxeter group may contain embedded circles that do not arise as the boundary of a Morse Fuchsian subgroup visible in the defining graph.
Let $M$ be a compact oriented simply-connected manifold of dimension at least 8. Assume $M$ is equipped with a torsion-free semi-free circle action with isolated fixed points. We prove $M$ has a perfect invariant Morse-Smale function. The major ingredient in the proof is a new cancellation theorem for the invariant Morse theory.
Let A be an essential complex hyperplane arrangement in an n-dimensional complex vector space V. Let H denote the union of the hyperplanes, and M denote the complement to H in V. We develop the real-valued and circle-valued Morse theory for M and prove, in particular, that M has the homotopy type of a space obtained from a manifold fibered over a circle, by attaching cells of dimension n. We compute the Novikov homology of M for a large class of homomorphisms of the fundamental group of M to R.
Characterizing $3$-dimensional manifolds represented as connected sums of Lens spaces, $S^2 \times S^1$, and torus bundles over the circle by certain Morse-Bott functions
Let N be a closed oriented k-dimensional submanifold of the (k+2)-dimensional sphere; denote its complement by C(N). Denote by x the 1-dimensional cohomology class in C(N), dual to N. The Morse-Novikov number of C(N) is by definition the minimal possible number of critical points of a regular Morse map f from C(N) to a circle, such that f belongs to x. In the first part of this paper we study the case when N is the twist frame spun knot associated to an m-knot K. We obtain a formula which relates the Morse-Novikov numbers of N and K and generalizes the classical results of D. Roseman and E.C. …
Let $M$ be a smooth connected orientable compact surface. Denote by $F(M,S^1)$ the space of all Morse functions $f:M\to S^1$ having no critical points on the boundary of $M$ and such that for every boundary component $V$ of $M$ the restriction $f|_{V}:V\to S^1$ is either a constant map or a covering map. Endow $F(M,S^1)$ with the $C^{\infty}$-topology. In this note the connected components of $F(M,S^1)$ are classified. This result extends the results of S. V. Matveev, V. V. Sharko, and the author for the case of Morse functions being locally constant on the boundary of $M$.
Let G be a compact Lie group and A(G) its Burnside Ring. For a compact smooth n-dimensional G-manifold X equipped with a generic G-invariant vector field v, we prove an equivariant analog of the Morse formula Ind^G(v) = \sum_{k = 0}^{n} (-1)^k χ^G(\d_k^+X) which takes its values in A(G). Here Ind^G(v) denotes the equivariant index of the field v, {\d_k^+X\} the v-induced Morse stratification (see [M]) of the boundary \d X, and χ^G(\d_k^+X) the class of the (n - k)-manifold \d_k^+X in $A(G)$. We examine some applications of this formula to the equivariant real algebraic fields v in compact doma…
The Morse-Novikov number MN(L) of a smooth link L in the three-dimensional sphere is by definition the minimal possible number of critical points of a regular circle-valued Morse function on the link complement (the term regular means that the Morse function must have nice behaviour in a tubular neighbourhood of L). Novikov homology provides lower bounds for MN(L). In the present paper we introduce the notion of twisted Novikov homology, which allows to obtain better lower bounds for MN(L) than the usual Novikov homology. Our twisted Novikov homology is a module over the Novikov ring Z((t)) bu…
In this paper we give an algebraic description of fundamental groups of orbits of circle-valued smooth functions from some subspace of the space of smooth functions with isolated singularities on $2$-torus $T^2$ with respect to the action of the group of diffeomorphisms of $T^2$.
We study the coarse geometry of the moduli space of dilation tori with two singularities and the dynamical properties of the action of the Teichmuller flow on this moduli space. This leads to a proof that the vertical foliation of a dilation torus is almost always Morse-Smale. As a corollary, we get that the generic piecewise affine circle homeomorphism with two break points -with respect to the Lebesgue measure- is Morse-Smale.
Given a circle-valued Morse function of a closed oriented manifold, we prove that Reidemeister torsion over a non-commutative formal Laurent polynomial ring equals the product of a certain non-commutative Lefschetz-type zeta function and the algebraic torsion of the Novikov complex over the ring. This paper gives a generalization of the result of Hutchings and Lee on abelian coefficients to the case of skew fields. As a consequence we obtain a Morse theoretical and dynamical description of the higher-order Reidemeister torsion.
Let $M$ be a compact surface and $P$ be a one dimensional manifold without boundary, that is the line $\mathbb{R}^1$ or a circle $S^1$. The classification of path-components of the space of Morse maps from $M$ into $P$ was recently obtained by S. V. Matveev and V. V. Sharko for the case $P=\mathbb{R}$. For $P=S^1$ the classification was obtained by the author. All this results can be reformulated as one theorem: "Two Morse maps $f,g:M \to P$ belong to the same path component of a space of Morse mappings from $M$ into $P$ if and only if they are homotopic and have the same number of crutucal po…
We obtain rigidity and gluing results for the Morse complex of a real-valued Morse function as well as for the Novikov complex of a circle-valued Morse function. A rigidity result is also proved for the Floer complex of a hamiltonian defined on a closed symplectic manifold $(M,ω)$ with $c_{1}|_{π_{2}(M)}=[ω]|_{π_{2}(M)}=0$. The rigidity results for these complexes show that the complex of a fixed generic function/hamiltonian is a retract of the Morse (respectively Novikov or Floer) complex of any other sufficiently $C^{0}$ close generic function/hamiltonian. The gluing result is a type of Maye…
By a Morse function on a compact manifold with boundary we mean a real-valued function without critical points near the boundary such that its critical points as well as the critical points of its restriction to the boundary are all non-degenerate. For such Morse functions, Saeki and Yamamoto have previously defined a certain notion of cusp cobordism, and computed the unoriented cusp cobordism group of Morse functions on surfaces. In this paper, we compute unoriented and oriented cusp cobordism groups of Morse functions on manifolds of any dimension by employing Levine's cusp elimination techn…
Let $f$ be a real- or circle-valued Morse function on a compact surface M having exactly $n>0$ critical points. Denote by $O$ the orbit of $f$ with respect to the right action of the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$. We show that the connected components of $O$ have the homotopy type of a finite-dimensional CW-complex. Actually, these connected components are homotopy equivalent to a certain covering space of the $n$-th configuration space of the interior of $M$. As a consequence we obtain that the fundamental group of $O$ is a subgroup of the $n$-th braid group of $M$.
This paper was motivated by work of Arnold where he explains how to count "snakes", i.e. Morse functions on the real axis with prescribed behavior at infinity. This leads immediately to a count of excellent Morse functions on the circle, where following Thom's terminology, excellent means that no two critical points lie on the same level set. We explain how to count equivalence classes of excellent Morse functions on the 2-sphere. We consider two equivalence relations. The geometric relation (two functions are equivalent if one can be obtained from the other via compositions with an orientatio…
Let $ω$ be a Morse form on a manifold $M$. Let $p:\hat M\to M$ be a regular covering with structure group $G$, such that $p^*([ω])=0$. Let $ξ:G\to\mathbf{R}$ be the corresponding period homomorphism. Denote by ${\hat Λ}_ξ$ the Novikov completion of the group ring $\mathbf{Z} G$. Choose a transverse $ω$-gradient $v$. Counting the flow lines of $v$ one defines the Novikov complex $\mathcal{N}_*$ freely generated over ${\hat Λ}_ξ$ by the set of zeroes of $ω$. In this paper we introduce a refinement of this construction. We define a subring $\hatΛ_Γ$ of ${\hat Λ}_ξ$ and show that the Novikov compl…
We develop techniques for computing the integer valued SU(3) Casson invariant. Our method involves resolving the singularities in the flat moduli space using a twisting perturbation and analyzing its effect on the topology of the perturbed flat moduli space. These techniques, together with Bott-Morse theory and the splitting principle for spectral flow, are applied to calculate the invariant for all Brieskorn homology spheres.
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and let $\F$ be a codimension one, $C^\infty$ foliation on $M$, with isolated singularities of Morse type. The study and classification of pairs $(M,\F)$ is a challenging (and difficult) problem. In this setting, a classical result due to Reeb \cite{Reeb} states that a manifold admitting a foliation with exactly two center-type singularities is a sphere. In particular this is true if the foliation is given by a function. Along these lines a result due to Eells and Kuiper \cite{Ku-Ee} classify manifolds having a real-valued function admitting exactly three non-degen…
In various situations in Floer theory, one extracts homological invariants from "Morse-Bott" data in which the "critical set" is a union of manifolds, and the moduli spaces of "flow lines" have evaluation maps taking values in the critical set. This requires a mix of analytic arguments (establishing properties of the moduli spaces and evaluation maps) and formal arguments (defining or computing invariants from the analytic data). The goal of this paper is to isolate the formal arguments, in the case when the critical set is a union of circles. Namely, we state axioms for moduli spaces and eval…
Let $M$ be a smooth compact manifold and $P$ be either $R^1$ or $S^1$. There is a natural action of the groups $Diff(M)$ and $Diff(M) \times Diff(P)$ on the space of smooth mappings $C^{\infty}(M,P)$. For $f\in C^{\infty}(M,P)$ let $S_f$, $S_{MP}$, $O_f$, and $O_{MP}$ be the stabilizers and orbits of $f$ under these actions. Recently, the author proved that under mild conditions on $f\in C^{\infty}(M,R^1)$ the corresponding stabilizers and orbits are homotopy equivalent: $S_{MR} \sim S_{M}$ and $O_{MR} \sim O_M$. These results are extended here to the actions on $C^{\infty}(M,S^1)$. It is prov…
Let $M$ be a smooth compact surface, orientable or not, with boundary or without it, $P$ either the real line $R^1$ or the circle $S^1$, and $Diff(M)$ the group of diffeomorphisms of $M$ acting on $C^{\infty}(M,P)$ by the rule $h\cdot f\mapsto f \circ h^{-1}$, where $h\in Diff(M)$ and $f \in C^{\infty}(M,P)$. Let $f:M \to P$ be a Morse function and $O(f)$ be the orbit of $f$ under this action. We prove that $π_k O(f)=π_k M$ for $k\geq 3$, and $π_2 O(f)=0$ except for few cases. In particular, $O(f)$ is aspherical, provided so is $M$. Moreover, $π_1 O(f)$ is an extension of a finitely generated …