Reidemeister-Turaev torsion modulo one of rational homology threespheres (Q1428387)

Given a rational homology three-sphere \(M\) (that is, the homology groups of \(M\) are the same as those of the three-sphere), and a \(\text{Spin}^{c}\)-structure \(\sigma\) on it, one can define two quadratic functions over the linking pairing of \(M\). One quadratic function can be defined by using the Reidemeister--Turaev torsion of the pair \((M,\sigma)\), and the other by using the intersection pairing of a simply-connected \(\text{Spin}^{c}\) four-manifold bounding \((M,\sigma)\). The main result of the paper is to show that these two are equal, which has already been proved in [\textit{Liviu I. Nicolaescu}, The Reidemeister torsion of 3-manifolds (de Gruyter Studies in Mathematics 30, Walter de Gruyter \& Co., Berlin) (2003; Zbl 1024.57002)] in a different way. The proof here is as follows. First write down the formulas of the two quadratic functions for a rational homology three-sphere obtained from the three-sphere by integral Dehn surgery along an algebraically split link (a link whose linking numbers vanish). Then the authors use Ohtsuki's diagonalizing lemma [\textit{T. Ohtsuki}, Invent. Math. 123, No. 2, 241--257 (1996; Zbl 0855.57016)].