Topological quantum field theory with corners based on the Kauffman bracket (Q1379577)

The author constructs a TQFT (topological quantum field theory) with corners that underlies the smooth TQFT of Lickorish, Blanchet, Habegger, Masbaum and Vogel. It is based on the skein theory of the Kauffman bracket. The author makes his construction by specifying the basic data and checking that it gives rise to a well defined theory. As a main device involved in the proof the author exhibits a tensor construction formula. It is also shown that the invariants of 3-manifolds with boundary have a distinguished vector component which satisfies the Kauffman bracket skein relation. The theory with corners constructed in this paper is the one canonically associated to the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants.