Jacobi identities in low-dimensional topology

James Conant; Rob Schneiderman; Peter Teichner

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · math/0401427

Jacobi identities in low-dimensional topology

James Conant·Rob Schneiderman·Peter Teichner

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The Jacobi identity is the key relation in the definition of a Lie algebra. In the last decade, it also appeared at the heart of the theory of finite type invariants of knots, links and 3-manifolds (and is there called the IHX-relation). In addition, this relation was recently found to arise naturally in a theory of embedding obstructions for 2-spheres in 4-manifolds. We expose the underlying topological unity between the 3- and 4-dimensional IHX-relations, deriving from a picture of the Borromean rings embedded on the boundary of an unknotted genus three handlebody in 3-space. This is most naturally related to knot and 3-manifold invariants via the theory of grope cobordisms.

Explore related subjects

math.GT

Keep this discovery

BibTeX RIS

James Conant, Rob Schneiderman, Peter Teichner. 2004-01-30. Jacobi identities in low-dimensional topology. https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0401427

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Bar cohomology of links: beyond Milnor invariants

We develop bar cohomology of link complements as an invariant of links in homology spheres. In this setting, bar cohomology is a Hopf algebra which is calculable using surfaces and their intersection curves in a link complement. In this first in a sequence of works, we introduce the invariant and show that it defines a canonical subspace of the tensor Hopf algebra, which already encodes information about Milnor's link invariants and provides geometrically significant information beyond them.

math.GT↗

arXiv2026

A counterexample to the wrapping number conjecture

We exhibit an annular knot with wrapping number four whose Kauffman bracket has annular degree at most two. This disproves the wrapping number conjecture.

math.GT↗

arXiv2026

Homological lifts of Arnold invariants $J^-$ and $J^+$

Viro's Euler-integral polynomial $P_C(q)$ and the Lanzat--Polyak quantized-curvature polynomial $I_q(C)$ refine Arnold's invariants $J^-$ and $J^+$ for generic immersed one-component plane curves. We construct homological lifts of both. The bigraded region homology retains the singular homology of every connected Alexander-index region; its graded Euler characteristic is $P_C(q)$. The triply graded smoothing-circle homology is generated by the oriented circles of the orientation-preserving smoothing and decategorifies to the smoothing term in $I_q(C)$. Keeping the actual region summands and the boundary regions of every smoothing circle gives a homological refinement of the oriented smoothing configuration, or Seifert state. An infinite family proves strictness: both polynomial data and the ordinary homological lifts agree, while the component-graded region homology and the branch-decomposed circle homology distinguish every pair. Further constructions recover the full $I_q(C)$ by a vertex complex, realize the local change of its curvature integral by edge homology, and give a canonical two-state homology for unoriented curves. Viro described his Euler-integral formula as an analogue of face state-sum formulas for quantum knot polynomials. Through the categorifications developed here, we obtain one concrete homological face-state-sum model realizing that analogy.

math.GT↗