arXiv subjects

Andrew Putman

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew Putman.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Symplectic Heegaard splittings and linked abelian groups

Let $f$ be the gluing map of a Heegaard splitting of a 3-manifold $W$. The goal of this paper is to determine the information about $W$ contained in the image of $f$ under the symplectic representation of the mapping class group. We prove three main results. First, we show that the first homology group of the three manifold together with Seifert's linking form provides a complete set of stable invariants. Second, we give a complete, computable set of invariants for these linking forms. Third, we show that a slight augmentation of Birman's determinantal invariant for a Heegaard splitting gives a complete set of unstable invariants.

math.GT↗

arXiv2007

A note on the connectivity of certain complexes associated to surfaces

This note is devoted to a trick which yields almost trivial proofs that certain complexes associated to topological surfaces are connected or simply connected. Applications include new proofs that the complexes of curves, separating curves, nonseparating curves, pants, and cut systems are all connected for genus $g \gg 0$. We also prove that two new complexes are connected : one involves curves which split a genus $2g$ surface into two genus $g$ pieces, and the other involves curves which are homologous to a fixed curve. The connectivity of the latter complex can be interpreted as saying the ``homology'' relation on the surface is (for $g \geq 3$) generated by ``embedded/disjoint homologies''. We finally prove that the complex of separating curves is simply connected for $g \geq 4$.

math.GT↗

arXiv2007

The Casson invariant and the word metric on the Torelli group

We bound the value of the Casson invariant of any integral homology 3-sphere $M$ by a constant times the distance-squared to the identity, measured in any word metric on the Torelli group $\T$, of the element of $\T$ associated to any Heegaard splitting of $M$. We construct examples which show this bound is asymptotically sharp.

math.GT↗

arXiv2007

Cutting and Pasting in the Torelli Group

We introduce machinery to allow ``cut-and-paste''-style inductive arguments in the Torelli subgroup of the mapping class group. In the past these arguments have been problematic because restricting the Torelli group to subsurfaces gives different groups depending on how the subsurfaces are embedded. We define a category $\TSur$ whose objects are surfaces together with a decoration restricting how they can be embedded into larger surfaces and whose morphisms are embeddings which respect the decoration. There is a natural ``Torelli functor'' on this category which extends the usual definition of the Torelli group on a closed surface. Additionally, we prove an analogue of the Birman exact sequence for the Torelli groups of surfaces with boundary and use the action of the Torelli group on the complex of curves to find generators for the Torelli group. For genus $g \geq 1$ only twists about (certain) separating curves and bounding pairs are needed, while for genus $g=0$ a new type of generator (a ``commutator of a simply intersecting pair'') is needed. As a special case, our methods provide a new, more conceptual proof of the classical result of Birman-Powell which says that the Torelli group on a closed surface is generated by twists about separating curves and bounding pairs.

math.GT↗

arXiv2006

The rationality of Sol manifolds

Let $Γ$ be the fundamental group of a manifold modeled on three dimensional Sol geometry. We prove that $Γ$ has a finite index subgroup $G$ which has a rational growth series with respect to a natural generating set. We do this by enumerating $G$ by a regular language. However, in contrast to most earlier proofs of this sort our regular language is not a language of words in the generating set, but rather reflects a different geometric structure in $G$.

math.GR↗