几何拓扑
For the Borromean link, we determine its irreducible ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-character variety, and find a formula for the twisted Alexander polynomial as a function on the character variety.
We completely determine finite abelian regular branched covers of the 2-sphere $S^2$ with the property that each homeomorphism of $S^2$ preserving the branching set can be lifted.
Cohomology fractals are images naturally associated to cohomology classes in hyperbolic three-manifolds. We generate these images for cusped, incomplete, and closed hyperbolic three-manifolds in real-time by ray-tracing to a fixed visual…
We apply Dijkgraaf-Witten invariant over an semiproduct of abelian groups to show that, if the $k/\ell$-surgery along a knot $K$ results in a small Seifert 3-manifold with multiplicities $a_1,a_2,a_3$, then many constraints on…
Given a link $L\subset S^3$, a representation $\pi_1(S^3-L)\to{\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$ is {\it trace-free} if it sends each meridian to an element with trace zero. We present a method for completely determining trace-free ${\rm…
We determine the ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-character variety for each odd classical pretzel knot $P(2k_1+1,2k_2+1,2k_3+1)$, and present a method for computing its A-polynomial.
We classify the possible elementary amenable fundamental groups of compact aspherical 4-manifolds with boundary and conclude that they are either polycyclic or solvable Baumslag- Solitar. Since these groups are good and satisfy the…
We undertake a systematic investigation of compact aspherical manifolds with boundary; motivated by the plethora of examples in the bounded case and by the beauty of the theory in the closed case. Our main theorems give a homological…
We give a quadratic-time algorithm to compute the stretch factor and the invariant measured foliations for a pseudo-Anosov element of the mapping class group. As input, the algorithm accepts a word (in any given finite generating set for…
Given a compact surface $M$, consider the natural right action of the group of diffeomorphisms $\mathcal{D}(M)$ of $M$ on $\mathcal{C}^{\infty}(M,\mathbb{R})$ defined by the rule: $(f,h)\mapsto f\circ h$ for $f\in…
Heegaard Floer homology and knot Floer homology are powerful invariants of 3-manifolds and links respectively. L-space knots are knots which admit Dehn surgeries to 3-manifolds with Heegaard Floer homology of minimal rank. In this paper we…
We construct infinite rank summands isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}^\infty$ in the higher homotopy and homology groups of the diffeomorphism groups of certain $4$-manifolds. These spherical families become trivial in the homotopy and homology…
We develop a framework that generalizes Budney-Gabai's $W_3$ invariant on $\pi_0\textrm{Diff}(S^1\times D^3,\partial)$ to 4-manifolds with 1-handles. As applications, we show that if $M=(S^1\times D^3)\natural \hat M$ where $\hat M$ either…
In all dimensions $n \ge 4$ not of the form $4m+3$, we show that there exists a closed hyperbolic $n$-manifold which is not the boundary of a compact $(n+1)$-manifold. The proof relies on the relationship between the cobordism class and the…
In this paper we study boundedness of conjugation invariant norms on diffeomorphism groups of manifold pairs. For the diffeomorphism group ${\mathcal D} \equiv {\rm Diff}(M,N)_0$ of a closed manifold pair $(M, N)$ with $\dim N \geq 1$,…
A foundational theorem of Laudenbach and Po\'enaru states that any diffeomorphism of $\#^n(S^1\times S^2)$ extends to a diffeomorphism of $\natural^n(S^1\times B^3)$. We prove a generalization of this theorem that accounts for the presence…
In this article, we consider a sufficient condition that a knot-surgery or log-transformation of $E(n)$ admits a handle decomposition without 1-handles. We show that if $K$ is a knot that the bridge number is $b(K)\le 9n$, then the…
We provide the first documented examples of immersions of closed oriented manifolds which are not homologous to embeddings, thus answering a question posed by Zhenhua Liu. In these examples we show that for any representing self-transverse…
The Knot Entropy Conjecture states that the exponential growth rate of the number of $n$-edge lattice polygons with knot-type $K$ is the same as that for unknot polygons. Moreover, the next order growth follows a power law in $n$ with an…
We define and study graphs associated to hexagon decompositions of surfaces by curves and arcs. One of the variants is shown to be quasi-isometric to the pants graph, whereas the other variant is quasi-isometric to (a Cayley graph of) the…