Surgery formulae for finite type invariants of rational homology 3-spheres (Q1022509)

The author studies surgery formulas for the Kontsevich-Kuperberg-Thurston (KKT) universal finite type invariants of rational homology \(3\)-spheres. Four formulas for alternating sums of the degree \(n\) part \(Z_n\) of the KKT invariant are given. The first formula treats an alternating sum for \(2n\) disjoint Lagrangian-preserving surgeries. Here a Lagrangian-preserving surgery replaces a rational homology handlebody in a 3-manifold with another rational homology handlebody in such a way that the linking numbers of curves in the exterior of the rational homology handlebody are preserved. The formula involves an antisymmetric trilinear form, constructed using Milnor triple linking numbers, defined for each Lagrangian-preserving surgery. The second formula is for an alternating sum of \(n\) Dehn surgeries on an \(n\)-component boundary link, and involves the Seifert matrix for the union of the \(n\) Seifert surfaces of the boundary link. The third formula is for an alternating sum of \(3n\) surgeries on a \(3n\)-component algebraically split link, and involves the triple Milnor linking numbers of the \(3\)-component sublinks. The fourth formula is for an alternating sum of \(2n\) surgeries on a \(2n\)-component algebraically split link with vanishing triple Milnor linking numbers. For integral homology spheres, the above-mentioned formulas hold also for the Le-Murakami-Ohtsuki invariant [\textit{T. T. Q. Le, J. Murakami} and \textit{T. Ohtsuki}, Topology 37, No. 3, 539--574 (1998; Zbl 0897.57017)], and can be regarded as a refinement of the comparison result for several filtrations given by \textit{S. Garoufalidis, M. Goussarov} and \textit{M. Polyak} [Geom. Topol. 5, 75--108 (2001; Zbl 1066.57015)]. A formula relating the variation of \(Z_n\) under \(p/q\)-surgery on a knot \(K\) and the finite type knot invariants of \(K\) is also given.