Related papers: Cappell-Shaneson's 4-dimensional s-cobordism
We describe two major string topology operations, the Chas-Sullivan product and the Goresky-Hingston coproduct, from geometric and algebraic perspectives. The geometric construction uses Thom-Pontrjagin intersection theory while the…
The recently suggested tangle calculus for knot polynomials is intimately related to topological string considerations and can help to build the HOMFLY-PT invariants from the topological vertices. We discuss this interplay in the simplest…
We reconsider the su(3) link homology theory defined by Khovanov in math.QA/0304375 and generalized by Mackaay and Vaz in math.GT/0603307. With some slight modifications, we describe the theory as a map from the planar algebra of tangles to…
We give a method for obtaining a handle decomposition of an $n$-manifold if the manifold is given by isometric side-pairings of a polyhedron in $\en$, $\sn$ or $\hn$. Every cycle of $k$-faces on the polyhedron corresponds to an…
Link/knot invariants are series with integer coefficients, and it is a long-standing problem to get them positive and possessing cohomological interpretation. Constructing positive "superpolynomials" is not straightforward, especially for…
Given a (genus 2) cube-with-holes M, i.e. the complement in S^3 of a handlebody H, we relate intrinsic properties of M (like its cut number) with extrinsic features depending on the way the handlebody H is knotted in S^3. Starting from a…
We construct invariants of colored links using equivariant bordism groups of Conner and Floyd. We employ this bordism invariant to find the first examples of topological vortex knots, the knot structure of which is protected from decaying…
Spin$^h$ manifolds are the quaternionic analogue to Spin$^c$ manifolds. We compute the spin$^h$ bordism groups at the prime 2 by proving a structure theorem for the cohomology of the spin$^h$ bordism spectrum $\mathrm{MSpin}^h$ as a module…
We construct two small resolutions of singularities of the Coble fourfold (the double cover of the four-dimensional projective space branched over the Igusa quartic). We use them to show that all $S_6$-invariant three-dimensional quartics…
Let K be a knot in an integral homology 3-sphere and let B denote the 2-fold branched cover of the integral homology sphere branched along K. We construct a map from the slice of characters with trace free along meridians in the SL(2,…
The h-cobordism theorem is a noted theorem in differential and PL topology. A generalization of the h-cobordism theorem for possibly non simply connected manifolds is the so called s-cobordism theorem. In this paper, we prove semialgebraic…
A cohomology theory is proposed for the recently discovered heptagon relation -- an algebraic imitation of a 5-dimensional Pachner move 4--3. In particular, `quadratic cohomology' is introduced, and it is shown that it is quite nontrivial,…
We discuss the relation between Fintushel-Stern knot surgery operation on 4-manifolds and Scharlemann manifolds, and as a corollary show that they all are standard. Along the way we show that the fishtail can exotically knot in the 4-sphere…
The goal of this paper is to find a close to isomorphic presentation of 3-manifolds in terms of Hopf algebraic expressions. To this end we define and compare three different braided tensor categories that arise naturally in the study of…
Lipshitz, Ozsv\'ath and Thurston defined a bordered Heegaard Floer invariant CFDA for 3-manifolds with two boundary components, including mapping cylinders for surface diffeomorphisms. We define a related invariant for certain 4-dimensional…
Given a connected manifold with corners of any codimension there is a very basic and computable homology theory called conormal homology defined in terms of faces and orientations of their conormal bundles, and whose cycles correspond…
Under certain homological hypotheses on a compact 4-manifold, we prove exactness of the topological surgery sequence at the stably smoothable normal invariants. The main examples are the class of finite connected sums of 4-manifolds with…
We show that the problem of showing that a cusped 3-manifold M is not hyperbolic is in NP, assuming $S^3$-RECOGNITION is in coNP. To this end, we show that IRREDUCIBLE TOROIDAL RECOGNITION lies in NP. Along the way we unconditionally…
Given a triple $H$ of (possibly non-semisimple) Hopf algebras equipped with pairings satisfying a set of properties, we describe a construction of an associated smooth, scalar invariant $\tau_H(X,\pi)$ of a simply connected, compact,…
The spectrum of $H$-monopoles of the heterotic string compactified on a six torus and its relationship to the $S$-duality conjecture is briefly reviewed. It is based on work done in collaboration with J. Harvey and is a contribution to the…