Three-dimensional topology includes two vast domains: the study of geometric structures on 3-manifolds and the study of topological invariants of 3-manifolds, knots, etc. This book belongs to the second domain. We shall study an invariant called the maximal abelian torsion and denoted T. It is defined for a compact smooth (or piecewise-linear) manifold of any dimension and, more generally, for an arbitrary finite CW-complex X. The torsion T(X) is an element of a certain extension of the group ring Z Hl(X)]. The torsion T can be naturally considered in the framework of simple homotopy theory....
Three-dimensional topology includes two vast domains: the study of geometric structures on 3-manifolds and the study of topological invariants of 3-ma...
In this well-written presentation, motivated by numerous examples and problems, the authors introduce the basic theory of braid groups, highlighting several definitions that show their equivalence; this is followed by a treatment of the relationship between braids, knots and links. Important results then treat the linearity and orderability of the subject. Relevant additional material is included in five large appendices.
Braid Groups will serve graduate students and a number of mathematicians coming from diverse disciplines.
In this well-written presentation, motivated by numerous examples and problems, the authors introduce the basic theory of braid groups, highlightin...
From the reviews: "This is an excellent exposition about abelian Reidemeister torsions for three-manifolds." -Zentralblatt Math
"This monograph contains a wealth of information many topologists will find very handy. ...Many of the new points of view pioneered by Turaev are gradually becoming mainstream and are spreading beyond the pure topology world. This monograph is a timely and very useful addition to the scientific literature." -Mathematical Reviews
From the reviews: "This is an excellent exposition about abelian Reidemeister torsions for three-manifolds." -Zentralblatt Math
This monograph is devoted to monoidal categories and their connections with 3-dimensional topological field theories. Starting with basic definitions, it proceeds to the forefront of current research.
Part 1 introduces monoidal categories and several of their classes, including rigid, pivotal, spherical, fusion, braided, and modular categories. It then presents deep theorems of Muger on the center of a pivotal fusion category. These theorems are proved in Part 2 using the theory of Hopf monads. In Part 3 the authors define the notion of a topological quantum field theory (TQFT) and...
This monograph is devoted to monoidal categories and their connections with 3-dimensional topological field theories. Starting with basic definitio...
