A survey of $q$-holonomic functions
We give a survey of basic facts of $q$-holonomic functions of one or several variables, following Zeilberger and Sabbah. We provide detailed proofs and examples.
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arXiv subjects
Stavros Garoufalidis
Publications and source records attributed to Stavros Garoufalidis.
Quadratic integer programming and the slope conjecture
The Slope Conjecture relates a quantum knot invariant, (the degree of the colored Jones polynomial of a knot) with a classical one (boundary slopes of incompressible surfaces in the knot complement). The degree of the colored Jones polynomial can be computed by a suitable (almost tight) state sum and the solution of a corresponding quadratic integer programming problem. We illustrate this principle for a 2-parameter family of 2-fusion knots. Combined with the results of Dunfield and the first author, this confirms the Slope Conjecture for the 2-fusion knots.
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Constructing 1-cusped isospectral non-isometric hyperbolic 3-manifolds
We construct infinitely many examples of pairs of isospectral but non-isometric $1$-cusped hyperbolic $3$-manifolds. These examples have infinite discrete spectrum and the same Eisenstein series. Our constructions are based on an application of Sunada's method in the cusped setting, and so in addition our pairs are finite covers of the same degree of a 1-cusped hyperbolic 3-orbifold (indeed manifold) and also have the same complex length-spectra. Finally we prove that any finite volume hyperbolic 3-manifold isospectral to the figure-eight knot complement is homeomorphic to the figure-eight knot complement.
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The 3D-index and normal surfaces
Dimofte, Gaiotto and Gukov introduced a powerful invariant, the 3D-index, associated to a suitable ideal triangulation of a 3-manifold with torus boundary components. The 3D-index is a collection of formal power series in $q^{1/2}$ with integer coefficients. Our goal is to explain how the 3D-index is a generating series of normal surfaces associated to the ideal triangulation. This shows a connection of the 3D-index with classical normal surface theory, and fulfills a dream of constructing topological invariants of 3-manifolds using normal surfaces.
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Quantum modularity and complex Chern-Simons theory
The Quantum Modularity Conjecture of Zagier predicts the existence of a formal power series with arithmetically interesting coefficients that appears in the asymptotics of the Kashaev invariant at each root of unity. Our goal is to construct a power series from a Neumann-Zagier datum (i.e., an ideal triangulation of the knot complement and a geometric solution to the gluing equations) and a complex root of unity $ζ$. We prove that the coefficients of our series lie in the trace field of the knot, adjoined a complex root of unity. We conjecture that our series are those that appear in the Quantum Modularity Conjecture and confirm that they match the numerical asymptotics of the Kashaev invariant (at various roots of unity) computed by Zagier and the first author. Our construction is motivated by the analysis of singular limits in Chern-Simons theory with gauge group $SL(2,C)$ at fixed level $k$, where $ζ^k=1$.
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A census of tetrahedral hyperbolic manifolds
We call a cusped hyperbolic 3-manifold tetrahedral if it can be decomposed into regular ideal tetrahedra. Following an earlier publication by three of the authors, we give a census of all tetrahedral manifolds and all of their combinatorial tetrahedral tessellations with at most 25 (orientable case) and 21 (non-orientable case) tetrahedra. Our isometry classification uses certified canonical cell decompositions (based on work by Dunfield, Hoffman, Licata) and isomorphism signatures (an improvement of dehydration sequences by Burton). The tetrahedral census comes in Regina as well as SnapPy format, and we illustrate its features.
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The 3D index of an ideal triangulation and angle structures
The 3D index of Dimofte-Gaiotto-Gukov a partially defined function on the set of ideal triangulations of 3-manifolds with $r$ torii boundary components. For a fixed $2r$ tuple of integers, the index takes values in the set of $q$-series with integer coefficients. Our goal is to give an axiomatic definition of the tetrahedron index, and a proof that the domain of the 3D index consists precisely of the set of ideal triangulations that support an index structure. The latter is a generalization of a strict angle structure. We also prove that the 3D index is invariant under 3-2 moves, but not in general under 2-3 moves.
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Evaluation of state integrals at rational points
Multi-dimensional state-integrals of products of Faddeev's quantum dilogarithms arise frequently in Quantum Topology, quantum Teichmüller theory and complex Chern--Simons theory. Using the quasi-periodicity property of the quantum dilogarithm, we evaluate 1-dimensional state-integrals at rational points and express the answer in terms of the Rogers dilogarithm, the cyclic (quantum) dilogarithm and finite state-sums at roots of unity. We illustrate our results with the evaluation of the state-integrals of the $4_1$, $5_2$ and $(-2,3,7)$ pretzel knots at rational points.
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Knots, BPS states, and algebraic curves
We analyze relations between BPS degeneracies related to Labastida-Marino-Ooguri-Vafa (LMOV) invariants, and algebraic curves associated to knots. We introduce a new class of such curves that we call extremal A-polynomials, discuss their special properties, and determine exact and asymptotic formulas for the corresponding (extremal) BPS degeneracies. These formulas lead to nontrivial integrality statements in number theory, as well as to an improved integrality conjecture stronger than the known M-theory integrality predictions. Furthermore we determine the BPS degeneracies encoded in augmentation polynomials and show their consistency with known colored HOMFLY polynomials. Finally we consider refined BPS degeneracies for knots, determine them from the knowledge of super-A-polynomials, and verify their integrality. We illustrate our results with twist knots, torus knots, and various other knots with up to 10 crossings.
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Flag algebras and the stable coefficients of the Jones polynomial
We study the structure of the stable coefficients of the Jones polynomial of an alternating link. We start by identifying the first four stable coefficients with polynomial invariants of a (reduced) Tait graph of the link projection. This leads us to introduce a free polynomial algebra of invariants of graphs whose elements give invariants of alternating links which strictly refine the first four stable coefficients. We conjecture that all stable coefficients are elements of this algebra, and give experimental evidence for the fifth and sixth stable coefficient. We illustrate our results in tables of all alternating links with at most 10 crossings and all irreducible planar graphs with at most 6 vertices.
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Exact computation of the n-loop invariants of knots
The loop invariants of Dimofte-Garoufalidis is a formal power series with arithmetically interesting coefficients that conjecturally appears in the asymptotics of the Kashaev invariant of a knot to all orders in $1/N$. We develop methods implemented in SnapPy that compute the first 6 coefficients of the formal power series of a knot. We give examples that illustrate our method and its results.
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A generating series for Murakami-Ohtsuki-Yamada graph evaluations
Murakami-Ohtsuki-Yamada introduced an evaluation of certain oriented planar trivalent graphs with colored edges. This evaluation plays a key role in the evaluation of the colored HOMFLY polynomial of a link in 3-space and its Khovanov-Rozansky categorification. Our goal is is to give a generating series formula for the evaluation of MOY graphs, which may be useful in categorification, and in the study of q-holonomicity of the colored HOMFLY polynomial.
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The Ptolemy field of $3$-manifold-representations
The Ptolemy coordinates for boundary-unipotent SL(n,C)-representations of a 3-manifold group were introduced in Garoufalidis-Thurston-Zickert inspired by the A-coordinates on higher Teichmüller space due to Fock and Goncharov. In this paper, we define the Ptolemy field of a (generic) PSL(2,\C)-representation and prove that it coincides with the trace field of the representation. This gives an efficient algorithm to compute the trace field of a cusped hyperbolic manifold.
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Alternating knots, planar graphs and q-series
Recent advances in Quantum Topology assign $q$-series to knots in at least three different ways. The $q$-series are given by generalized Nahm sums (i.e., special $q$-hypergeometric sums) and have unknown modular and asymptotic properties. We give an efficient method to compute those $q$-series that come from planar graphs (i.e., reduced Tait graphs of alternating links) and compute several terms of those series for all graphs with at most 8 edges drawing several conclusions. In addition, we give a graph-theory proof of a theorem of Dasbach-Lin which identifies the coefficient of $q^k$ in those series for $k=0,1,2$ in terms of polynomials on the number of vertices, edges and triangles of the graph. Updated tables of data.
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The complex volume of SL(n,C)-representations of 3-manifolds
For a compact 3-manifold M with arbitrary (possibly empty) boundary, we give a parametrization of the set of conjugacy classes of boundary-unipotent representations of the fundamental group of M into SL(n,C). Our parametrization uses Ptolemy coordinates, which are inspired by coordinates on higher Teichmueller spaces due to Fock and Goncharov. We show that a boundary-unipotent representation determines an element in Neumann's extended Bloch group, and use this to obtain an efficient formula for the Cheeger-Chern-Simons invariant, and in particular for the volume. Computations for the census manifolds show that boundary-unipotent representations are abundant, and numerical comparisons with census volumes, suggest that the volume of a representation is an integral linear combination of volumes of hyperbolic 3-manifolds. This is in agreement with a conjecture of Walter Neumann, stating that the Bloch group is generated by hyperbolic manifolds.
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A stability conjecture for the colored Jones polynomial
We formulate a stability conjecture for the coefficients of the colored Jones polynomial of a knot, colored by irreducible representations in a fixed ray of a simple Lie algebra, and verify it for all torus knots and all simple Lie algebras of rank $2$. Our conjecture is motivated by a structure theorem for the degree and the coefficients of a $q$-holonomic sequence of polynomials given in [Ga2] and by a stability theorem of the colored Jones polynomial of an alternating knot given in \cite{GL2}. We illustrate our results with sample computations.
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Irreducibility of q-difference operators and the knot 7_4
Our goal is to compute the minimal-order recurrence of the colored Jones polynomial of the 7_4 knot, as well as for the first four double twist knots. As a corollary, we verify the AJ Conjecture for the simplest knot 7_4 with reducible non-abelian SL(2,C) character variety. To achieve our goal, we use symbolic summation techniques of Zeilberger's holonomic systems approach and an irreducibility criterion for q-difference operators. For the latter we use an improved version of the qHyper algorithm of Abramov-Paule-Petkovsek to show that a given q-difference operator has no linear right factors. En route, we introduce exterior power Adams operations on the ring of bivariate polynomials and on the corresponding affine curves.
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The symplectic properties of the PGL(n,C)-gluing equations
In a previous article we studied PGL(n,C)-representations of a 3-manifold via a generalization of Thurston's gluing equations. Neumann has proved some symplectic properties of Thurston's gluing equations that play an important role in recent developments of exact and perturbative Chern-Simons theory. In this paper, we prove the symplectic properties of the PGL(n,C)-gluing equations for all ideal triangulations of compact oriented 3-manifolds.
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