Teichmüller polynomials of fibered alternating links (Q2280155)

Thurston defined a norm on the second homology group of an orientable 3-manifold \(M\). There is a dual norm on the first cohomology group of \(M\). It is a rational polytope, and a \textit{fibered face} of this polytope is a top-dimensional face \(F\) such that an integral point (or, equivalently, all integral points) in the cone \(\mathbb{R}_+.F\) represents a fibration of \(M\) over the circle with pseudo-Anosov monodromy. In his paper [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 33, No. 4, 519--560 (2000; Zbl 1013.57010)], \textit{C. T. McMullen} introduced the notion of Teichmüller polynomial, as an invariant of flow equivalence classes of such pseudo-Anosov homeomorphisms. The Teichmüller polynomial is also a geometric analogue of the Alexander polynomial. This polynomial is an element in \(\mathbb{Z}\mathrm{[}H_1(M;\mathbb{Z})/\mathrm{torsion}]\). In the paper under review, the authors give an algorithm for computing the Teichmüller polynomial for a class of fibered alternating links associated to trees. The fiber surfaces of these 3-manifolds are of genus greater than one and their monodromies are pseudo-Anosov products of multitwists. The authors also exhibit a mutant pair of such links distinguished by the Teichmüller polynomial.