Morse theory and Lescop's equivariant propagator for 3-manifolds with $b_1=1$ fibered over $S^1$

Abstract

For a 3-manifold $M$ with $b_1(M)=1$ fibered over $S^1$ and the fiberwise gradient $ξ$ of a fiberwise Morse function on $M$, we introduce the notion of amidakuji-like path (AL-path) on $M$. An AL-path is a piecewise smooth path on $M$ consisting of edges each of which is either a part of a critical locus of $ξ$ or a flow line of $-ξ$. Counting closed AL-paths with signs gives the Lefschetz zeta function of $M$. The "moduli space" of AL-paths on $M$ gives explicitly Lescop's equivariant propagator, which can be used to define $\mathbb{Z}$-equivariant version of Chern--Simons perturbation theory for $M$.