Rings of \(SL_2(\mathbb{C})\)-characters and the Kauffman bracket skein module (Q1381283)

The Kauffman bracket skein module \(K(M)\) of a compact orientable \(3\)-manifold \(M\) is the quotient of the free \(R\)-module on isotopy classes of framed links in \(M\) modulo skein and framing relations. Here \(R\) is the ring of Laurent polynomials in \(A\in\mathbb{C}\). The author considers the specialization \(V(M)\) of \(K(M)\) for \(A=-1\). With the product on links, \(L_1L_2=L_1\cup L_2\), the vector space \(V(M)\) is a commutative algebra, finitely generated by knots. Each oriented knot determines a conjugacy class of \(\pi_1(M)\), and by evaluating each character on the conjugacy class, a function on the \(SL_2(\mathbb{C})\)-characters \(X(M)\) of \(\pi_1(M)\). The author shows that this induces an isomorphism of \(V(M)\) modulo its nilradical onto the coordinate ring of \(X(M)\). As an application he shows that if \(M\) is a small \(3\)-manifold (i.e., every incompressible surface is boundary parallel) then \(V(M)\) is finite dimensional.