A surgery view of boundary links (Q1411996)

A theorem by \textit{R. Kirby} [Invent. Math. 45, 35-56 (1978; Zbl 0377.55001)] on framed links states that two framed links in the \(3\)-sphere yields homeomorphic result of surgery if and only if they are related by a sequence of Kirby moves, i.e., handle slides and stabilization. In the paper under review the authors prove a Kirby-type theorem for pairs \((M,L)\) of integral homology spheres \(M\) and \(F\)-links \(L\), where an \(F\)-link is a boundary link equipped with a surjection of the fundamental group of the complement onto a free group. In the simplest case of knots in integral homology spheres, the theorem is the following: Two null homotopic framed links \(L\) and \(L'\) in the complement of an unknot in the \(3\)-sphere, with the linking matrices invertible over the integers, yield homeomorphic results of surgery if and only if they are related by a sequence of Kirby moves. The authors apply the theorem to obtain an invariant of \(F\)-links, which can be thought of as a noncommutative version of the Alexander polynomial. The theorem is also used in another paper by the authors [A rational noncommutative invariant of boundary links, preprint] in which they construct a rational version of the Kontsevich integral of boundary links.