Renormalized Hennings invariants and \(2+1\)-TQFTs (Q1673723)

The Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev \(3\)-manifold invariants, based on the semisimple representation theory of quantized simple Lie algebras, are well known to extend to a \(2+1\) TQFT. \textit{M. Hennings} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 54, No. 3, 594--624 (1996; Zbl 0882.57002)] constructed a generalization that uses finite-dimensional quasi-triangular Hopf algebras instead, which need not be semisimple. Unfortunately, the non-semisimple Hennings invariants do not extend to a TQFT in the classical sense, although a weaker ``half-projective'' TQFT was constructed by \textit{T. Kerler} and \textit{V. V. Lyubashenko} [Non-semisimple topological quantum field theories for 3-manifolds with corners. Berlin: Springer (2001; Zbl 0982.57013)]. In this paper the authors introduce a version of logarithmic Hennings invariants, based on finite-dimensional non-degenerate unimodular ribbon Hopf algebras, and show that it extends to a classical \(2+1\) TQFT. This extends the work of \textit{A. Beliakova}, \textit{C. Blanchet} and the second author [``Logarithmic Hennings invariants for restricted quantum \(\mathfrak{sl}\)(2)'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1705.03083}] on Hennings-type invariants of \(3\)-manifolds with bichrome colored links based on a restricted version of quantum \(\mathfrak{sl}_2\), and is related to \textit{J. Murakami}'s generalized Kashaev invariants [Quantum Topol. 8, No. 1, 35--73 (2017; Zbl 1365.57020)]. A key idea of the construction is the use of modified trace of \textit{N. Geer} et al. [Sel. Math., New Ser. 17, No. 2, 453--504 (2011; Zbl 1248.18006)], which replaces the categorical trace, and does not vanish on as many modules in the non-semisimple theory. The authors first construct a Hennings-type invariant for closed \(3\)-manifolds, and then extend it to a TQFT via the universal construction of \textit{C. Blanchet} et al. [Topology 34, No. 4, 883--927 (1995; Zbl 0887.57009)]. Usually, the vector spaces from the universal construction are hard to determine, but in this case they are isomorphic to the images of Lyubashenko's modular functor for the original Hennings invariants. The authors conjecture that the dual space functor of their TQFT is isomorphic to the Lyubashenko functor. They also suggest that non-semisimple TQFT plays a role in non-rational CFTs similar to the role of semisimple TQFT in rational CFTs.