arXiv subjects

Andrew Ranicki

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew Ranicki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Signature Cocycles on the Mapping Class Group and Symplectic Groups

Werner Meyer constructed a cocycle in $H^2(Sp(2g, \mathbb{Z}); \mathbb{Z})$ which computes the signature of a closed oriented surface bundle over a surface, with fibre a surface of genus g. By studying properties of this cocycle, he also showed that the signature of such a surface bundle is a multiple of 4. In this paper, we study the signature cocycles both from the geometric and algebraic points of view. We present geometric constructions which are relevant to the signature cocycle and provide an alternative to Meyer's decomposition of a surface bundle. Furthermore, we discuss the precise relation between the Meyer and Wall-Maslov index. The main theorem of the paper, Theorem 6.6, provides the necessary group cohomology results to analyze the signature of a surface bundle modulo any integer N. Using these results, we are able to give a complete answer for N = 2, 4 and 8, and based on a theorem of Deligne, we show that this is the best we can hope for using this method.

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arXiv2018

Cohomology of symplectic groups and Meyer's signature theorem

Meyer showed that the signature of a closed oriented surface bundle over a surface is a multiple of $4$, and can be computed using an element of $H^2(\mathsf{Sp}(2g, \mathbb{Z}),\mathbb{Z})$. Denoting by $1 \to \mathbb{Z} \to \widetilde{\mathsf{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z})} \to \mathsf{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z}) \to 1$ the pullback of the universal cover of $\mathsf{ Sp}(2g,\mathbb{R})$, Deligne proved that every finite index subgroup of $\widetilde{\mathsf {Sp}(2g, \mathbb{Z})}$ contains $2\mathbb{Z}$. As a consequence, a class in the second cohomology of any finite quotient of $\mathsf{Sp}(2g, \mathbb{Z})$ can at most enable us to compute the signature of a surface bundle modulo $8$. We show that this is in fact possible and investigate the smallest quotient of $\mathsf{Sp}(2g, \mathbb{Z})$ that contains this information. This quotient $\mathfrak{H}$ is a non-split extension of $\mathsf {Sp}(2g,2)$ by an elementary abelian group of order $2^{2g+1}$. There is a central extension $1\to \mathbb{Z}/2\to\tilde{\mathfrak{H}}\to\mathfrak{H}\to 1$, and $\tilde{\mathfrak{H}}$ appears as a quotient of the metaplectic double cover $\mathsf{Mp}(2g,\mathbb{Z})=\widetilde{\mathsf{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z})}/2\mathbb{Z}$. It is an extension of $\mathsf{Sp}(2g,2)$ by an almost extraspecial group of order $2^{2g+2}$, and has a faithful irreducible complex representation of dimension $2^g$. Provided $g\ge 4$, $\widetilde{\mathfrak{H}}$ is the universal central extension of $\mathfrak{H}$. Putting all this together, we provide a recipe for computing the signature modulo $8$, and indicate some consequences.

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arXiv2018

Codimension 2 embeddings, algebraic surgery and Seifert forms

We study the cobordism of manifolds with boundary, and its applications to codimension 2 embeddings $M^m\subset N^{m+2}$, using the method of the algebraic theory of surgery. The first main result is a splitting theorem for cobordisms of algebraic Poincaré pairs, which is then applied to describe the behaviour on the chain level of Seifert surfaces of embeddings $M^{2n-1} \subset S^{2n+1}$ under isotopy and cobordism. The second main result (update: which is false) is that the $S$-equivalence class of a Seifert form is an isotopy invariant of the embedding, generalizing the Murasugi--Levine result for knots and links. The third main result is a generalized Murasugi--Kawauchi inequality giving an upper bound on the difference of the Levine--Tristram signatures of cobordant embeddings.

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arXiv2017

The geometric Hopf invariant and surgery theory

The first author's geometric Hopf invariant of a stable map $F:Σ^{\infty}X \to Σ^{\infty}Y$ is a stable ${\mathbb Z}_2$-equivariant map $h(F):Σ^{\infty}X \to Σ^{\infty}(Y \wedge Y)$ constructed by an explicit difference construction applied to $(F \wedge F)Δ_X - Δ_Y F$. The stable ${\mathbb Z}_2$-equivariant homotopy class of $h(F)$ is the primary obstruction to desuspending $F$ up to homotopy. The explicit nature of the construction allows for a $π$-equivariant version of $h(F)$ in the case of a $π$-equivariant $F$, with $π$ a discrete group. In earlier joint work we applied the $π_1(N)$-equivariant geometric Hopf invariant of the Umkehr map $F:Σ^{\infty}N^+ \to Σ^{\infty}T(ν_f)$ of an immersion $f:M \to N$ to capture the double points of $f$ in ${\mathbb Z}_2$-equivariant homotopy theory. In this manuscript we use the $π$-equivariant geometric Hopf invariant $h(F)$ to unify all the previous homotopy theoretic treatments of double points. Furthermore, $h(F)$ is combined with the second author's algebraic surgery theory of chain complexes with Poincaré duality to provide the homotopy theoretic foundations for non-simply-connected geometric surgery. For an $n$-dimensional normal map $(f,b):M \to X$ the $π_1(X)$-equivariant geometric Hopf invariant $h(F)$ of the Umkehr map $F:Σ^{\infty}X^+ \toΣ^{\infty}M^+$ is shown to induce the $π_1(X)$-equivariant quadratic structure $ψ_F$ on the chain complex kernel $C$ of $(f,b)$. Previously $ψ_F$ had only been constructed using the chain complex analogue of the functional Steenrod squares. The Wall surgery obstruction $σ_*(f,b)=(C,ψ_F) \in L_n({\mathbb Z}[π_1(X)])$ is the cobordism class of the corresponding $n$-dimensional quadratic Poincaré complex $(C,ψ_F)$, as in the original theory.

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arXiv2017

Solid angles and Seifert hypersurfaces

Given a smooth closed oriented manifold $M$ of dimension $n$ embedded in $\mathbb{R}^{n+2}$ we study properties of the `solid angle' function $Φ\colon\mathbb{R}^{n+2}\setminus M\to S^1$. It turns out that a non-critical level set of $Φ$ is an explicit Seifert hypersurface for $M$.

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arXiv2016

Signatures in algebra, topology and dynamics

We survey the 19th century development of the signature of a quadratic form, and the applications in the 20th and 21st century to the topology of manifolds and dynamical systems. Version 2 is an expanded and corrected version of Version 1, including an Appendix by the second named author "Algebraic L-theory of rings with involution and the localization exact sequence".

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arXiv2014

Morse theory for manifolds with boundary

We develop Morse theory for manifolds with boundary. Besides standard and expected facts like the handle cancellation theorem and the Morse lemma for manifolds with boundary, we prove that, under a topological assumption, a critical point in the interior of a Morse function can be moved to the boundary, where it splits into a pair of boundary critical points. As an application, we prove that every cobordism of manifolds with boundary splits as a union of left product cobordisms and right product cobordisms.

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arXiv2012

On the semicontinuity of the mod 2 spectrum of hypersurface singularities

We use purely topological methods to prove the semicontinuity of the mod 2 spectrum of local isolated hypersurface singularities in $\mathbb{C}^{n+1}$, using Seifert forms of high-dimensional non-spherical links, the Levine--Tristram signatures and the generalized Murasugi--Kawauchi inequality obtained in earlier work for cobordisms of links.

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arXiv2012

Algebraic K-theory over the infinite dihedral group: an algebraic approach

We prove that the Waldhausen nilpotent class group of an injective index 2 amalgamated free product is isomorphic to the Farrell-Bass nilpotent class group of a twisted polynomial extension. As an application, we show that the Farrell-Jones Conjecture in algebraic K-theory can be sharpened from the family of virtually cyclic subgroups to the family of finite-by-cyclic subgroups.

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arXiv2010

On the algebraic $L$-theory of $Δ$-sets

The algebraic $L$-groups $L_*(\A,X)$ are defined for an additive category $\A$ with chain duality and a $Δ$-set $X$, and identified with the generalized homology groups $H_*(X;\LL_{\bullet}(\A))$ of $X$ with coefficients in the algebraic $L$-spectrum $\LL_{\bullet}(\A)$. Previously such groups had only been defined for simplicial complexes $X$.

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arXiv2010

The geometric Hopf invariant and double points

The geometric Hopf invariant of a stable map F is a stable Z_2-equivariant map h(F) such that the stable Z_2-equivariant homotopy class of h(F) is the primary obstruction to F being homotopic to an unstable map. In this paper we express the geometric Hopf invariant of the Umkehr map F of an immersion f:M^m \to N^n in terms of the double point set of f. We interpret the Smale-Hirsch-Haefliger regular homotopy classification of immersions f in the metastable dimension range 3m<2n-1 (when a generic f has no triple points) in terms of the geometric Hopf invariant.

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arXiv2010

On the construction and topological invariance of the Pontryagin classes

We use sheaves and algebraic L-theory to construct the rational Pontryagin classes of fiber bundles with fiber R^n. This amounts to an alternative proof of Novikov's theorem on the topological invariance of the rational Pontryagin classes of vector bundles. Transversality arguments and torus tricks are avoided.

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arXiv2009

Controlled L-theory

We develop an epsilon-controlled algebraic L-theory, extending our earlier work on epsilon-controlled algebraic K-theory. The controlled L-theory is very close to being a generalized homology theory; we study analogues of the homology exact sequence of a pair, excision properties, and the Mayer--Vietoris exact sequence. As an application we give a controlled L-theory proof of the classic theorem of Novikov on the topological invariance of the rational Pontrjagin classes.

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arXiv2009

The quadratic form E_8 and exotic homology manifolds

An explicit (-1)^n-quadratic form over Z[Z^{2n}] representing the surgery problem E_8 x T^{2n} is obtained, for use in the Bryant-Ferry-Mio-Weinberger construction of 2n-dimensional exotic homology manifolds.

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arXiv2009

Blanchfield and Seifert algebra in high-dimensional boundary link theory I: Algebraic K-theory

The classification of high-dimensional mu-component boundary links motivates decomposition theorems for the algebraic K-groups of the group ring A[F_mu] and the noncommutative Cohn localization Sigma^{-1}A[F_mu], for any mu>0 and an arbitrary ring A, with F_mu the free group on mu generators and Sigma the set of matrices over A[F_mu] which become invertible over A under the augmentation A[F_mu] to A. Blanchfield A[F_mu]-modules and Seifert A-modules are abstract algebraic analogues of the exteriors and Seifert surfaces of boundary links. Algebraic transversality for A[F_mu]-module chain complexes is used to establish a long exact sequence relating the algebraic K-groups of the Blanchfield and Seifert modules, and to obtain the decompositions of K_*(A[F_mu]) and K_*(Sigma^{-1}A[F_mu]) subject to a stable flatness condition on Sigma^{-1}A[F_mu] for the higher K-groups.

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arXiv2008

Noncommutative localization in algebraic $L$-theory

Given a noncommutative (Cohn) localization $A \to σ^{-1}A$ which is injective and stably flat we obtain a lifting theorem for induced f.g. projective $σ^{-1}A$-module chain complexes and localization exact sequences in algebraic $L$-theory, matching the algebraic $K$-theory localization exact sequence of Neeman and Ranicki.

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arXiv2007

A composition formula for manifold structures

The structure set $\ST^{TOP}(M)$ of an $n$-dimensional topological manifold $M$ for $n \geqslant 5$ has a homotopy invariant functorial abelian group structure, by the algebraic version of the Browder-Novikov-Sullivan-Wall surgery theory. An element $(N,f) \in \ST^{TOP}(M)$ is an equivalence class of $n$-dimensional manifolds $N$ with a homotopy equivalence $f:N \to M$. The composition formula is that $(P,fg)=(N,f)+f_*(P,g) \in \ST^{TOP}(M)$ for homotopy equivalences $g:P \to N$, $f:N \to M$. The formula is required for a paper of Kreck and Lück.

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arXiv2005

The signature of a fibre bundle is multiplicative mod 4

We express the signature modulo 4 of a closed, oriented, $4k$-dimensional $PL$ manifold as a linear combination of its Euler characteristic and the new absolute torsion invariant defined in Korzeniewski [11]. Let $F \to E \to B$ be a $PL$ fibre bundle, where $F$, $E$ and $B$ are closed, connected, and compatibly oriented $PL$ manifolds. We give a formula for the absolute torsion of the total space $E$ in terms of the absolute torsion of the base and fibre, and then combine these two results to prove that the signature of $E$ is congruent modulo 4 to the product of the signatures of $F$ and $B$.

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