Finite type invariants and fatgraphs (Q1959455)

The Le-Murakami-Ohtsuki (LMO) invariant [\textit{T. T. Q. Lê, J. Murakami} and \textit{T. Ohtsuki}, Topology 37, No.~3, 539--574 (1998; Zbl 0897.57017)] is an invariant of oriented, closed 3-manifolds, which is constructed from the Kontsevich integral and is a universal finite type invariant for rational homology spheres. Extensions of the LMO invariant to cobordisms between surfaces have been constructed by \textit{J. Murakami} and \textit{T. Ohtsuki} [Commun. Math. Phys. 188, No. 3, 501--520 (1997; Zbl 0938.57022)], \textit{D. Cheptea} and \textit{T. T. Q. Lê} [ibid. 272, No.~3, 601--634 (2007; Zbl 1145.81049)], and \textit{D. Cheptea, G. Massuyeau} and the reviewer [Geom. Topol. 12, No.~2, 1091--1170 (2008; Zbl 1148.57017)]. In the paper under review, the authors define an extension \(\nabla_G(M)\) of the LMO invariant to 3-manifolds \(M\) obtained from the cylinder \(\Sigma\times I\) over a connected, oriented surface with nonempty boundary, and a fatgraph spine of \(\Sigma\). The construction of this invariant utilizes the Andersen-Mattes-Reshetikhin invariant [\textit{J. E. Andersen, J. Mattes} and \textit{N. Reshetikhin}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 124, No.~3, 451--467 (1998; Zbl 0943.57007)] of links in the cylinder \(\Sigma\times I\), which is a generalization of the Kontsevich integral. The invariant \(\nabla_G\) gives, in particular, a representation of the monoid of homology cylinders over \(\Sigma\). Using the invariant \(\nabla_G\) for two fatgraph spines of \(\Sigma\), the authors obtain a representation of the Ptolemy groupoid, which is the groupoid whose objects are fatgraph spines of \(\Sigma\) and whose morphisms are sequences of Whitehead moves modulo certain relations. This representation in particular gives a mapping class group representation. Using a variant of \(\nabla_G\), the Morita-Penner cocycle [\textit{S. Morita} and \textit{P. C. Penner}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 144, No.~3, 651--671 (2008; Zbl 1157.32015)], which represents the first Johnson homomorphism, is reconstructed.