Calculus of clovers and finite type invariants of 3-manifolds (Q1428366): Difference between revisions

For an integer homology sphere \(M\), an alternating sum of \(3\)-manifolds obtained from \(M\) by surgery on sublinks of an algebraically split, resp. boundary, unimodular \(n\)-component link \(L\) defines an element of the abelian group \textit{F} with basis all integer homology spheres. The subgroup of \textit{F} generated by all such elements over all such \(L\) admits, for increasing \(n\), a decreasing filtration, which allows for defining a notion of finite type invariants on the set of integer homology spheres. The second author (who passed away when this paper was still in its initial stage) developed a new theory of finite type invariants for any \(3\)-manifold, by considering surgery on \(Y\)-graphs, which are trivalent graphs having as regular neighborhood a solid handlebody of genus \(3\). This allows a topological calculus similar to Kirby's calculus of framed links, but instead of surgery on links the surgery is on \textit{clovers} which are framed trivalent graphs with some additional structure, embedded in \(M\). The authors achieve well their main goal of the paper, which is to give an exposition of the calculus of clovers, to describe the graded spaces of the theory in terms of uni-trivalent graphs, and to show that these various theories of finite type invariants of integer homology spheres coincide over the group of binary rational numbers.