Rings of $SL_2({\mathbb C})$-Characters and the Kauffman Bracket Skein Module

The aim of this article is to study the SL(2,C)-character scheme of a finitely generated group. Given a presentation of a finitely generated group $\Gamma$, we give equations defining the coordinate ring of the scheme of SL(2,C)-characters of $\Gamma$ (finitely many equations when $\Gamma$ is finitely presented). We also study the scheme of abelian and nonsimple representations and characters. Finally we apply our results to study the SL(2,C)-character scheme of the Borromean...

It is natural to try to place the new polynomial invariants of links in algebraic topology (e.g. to try to interpret them using homology or homotopy groups). However, one can think that these new polynomial invariants are byproducts of a new more delicate algebraic invariant of 3-manifolds which measures the obstruction to isotopy of links (which are homotopic). We propose such an algebraic invariant based on skein theory introduced by Conway (1969) and developed by Giller (1...

This paper resolves the problem of comparing the skein modules defined using the skein relations discovered by R. Kirby and P. Melvin that underlie the Reshetikhin-Turaev model for $SU(2)$ Chern-Simons theory to the Kauffman bracket skein modules. Several applications and examples are presented.

We use instanton gauge theory to prove that if $Y$ is a closed, orientable $3$-manifold such that $H_1(Y;\mathbb{Z})$ is nontrivial and either $2$-torsion or $3$-torsion, and if $Y$ is neither $\#^r \mathbb{RP}^3$ for some $r\geq 1$ nor $\pm L(3,1)$, then there is an irreducible representation $\pi_1(Y) \to \mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$. We apply this to show that the Kauffman bracket skein module of a non-prime 3-manifold has nontrivial torsion whenever two of the prime summand...

In this paper we study the skein algebras of marked surfaces and the skein modules of marked 3-manifolds. Muller showed that skein algebras of totally marked surfaces may be embedded in easy to study algebras known as quantum tori. We first extend Muller's result to permit marked surfaces with unmarked boundary components. The addition of unmarked components allows us to develop a surgery theory which enables us to extend the Chebyshev homomorphism of Bonahon and Wong between...

We compute the Azumaya loci of Kauffman-bracket skein algebras of closed surfaces at odd roots of unity and provide partial results for open surfaces as well. As applications, we give an alternative definition of the projective representations of the Torelli groups derived from non-semisimple TQFTs and we strengthen a result by Frohman-Kania Bartoszynska-L\^e about the dimensions of some quotients of the skein modules of closed 3-manifolds.

Motivated by the Quantum Modularity Conjecture and its arithmetic aspects related to the Habiro ring of a number field, we define a map from the Kauffman bracket skein module of an integer homology 3-sphere to the Habiro ring, and use Witten's conjecture (now a theorem) to show that the image is an effectively computable module of finite rank that can be used to phrase the quantum modularity conjecture.

In this paper we compute the Kauffman bracket skein module of the complement of $(2, 2p+1)$-torus knots, $KBSM(T_{(2, 2p+1)}^c)$, via braids. We start by considering geometric mixed braids in $S^3$, the closure of which are mixed links in $S^3$ that represent links in the complement of $(2, 2p+1)$-torus knots, $T_{(2, 2p+1)}^c$. Using the technique of parting and combing, we obtain algebraic mixed braids, that is, mixed braids that belong to the mixed braid group $B_{2, n}$ a...

For each skein module we describe a homology theory which, for any three manifold recovers the skein module at its zero level. The theory measures skein-like relations among skein relations, mimicking Hilbert's theory of syzygies. We work explicit examples for the homology groups corresponding to the Kauffman bracket. It is shown, in particular, that for every manifold most of the groups are non-trivial.

We construct embeddings of Kauffman bracket skein algebras of surfaces (either closed or with boundary) into localized quantum tori using the action of the skein algebra on the skein module of the handlebody. We use those embeddings to study representations of Kauffman skein algebras at roots of unity and get a new proof of Bonahon-Wong's unicity conjecture. Our method allows one to explicitly reconstruct the unique representation with fixed classical shadow, as long as the c...