The pillowcase and traceless representations of knot groups. II: A Lagrangian-Floer theory in the pillowcase (Q1625192)

The space \({\mathcal{M}}(X)=\text{Hom}(\pi_1(X),SU(2))/_{\text{conj}}\) of conjugacy classes of \(SU(2)\) representations of \(\pi_1(X)\) is called the character variety of a compact 2- or 3-manifold \(X\). A quotient of \(\mathbb R^2\) by \(\mathbb Z^2\ltimes\mathbb Z/2\), that is, a 2-sphere with four singular points, corners, is called the pillowcase \(P\). For a knot or link \(L\subset X\) in a 3-manifold, the invariant \(I^\natural(Y,L)\) called singular instanton knot homology, that is, a chain group \(C^\natural(X,L)\) generated by flat \(SO(3)\) connections on \(X\backslash L\), which have a prescribed singularity near \(L\), is associated to \(L\). The choice of a trivial 2-stranded tangle \((D,U)\subset(X,L)\), where the perturbation was performed, results in a decomposition of the link \((X,L)=(X\backslash D,L\backslash U)\cup_{(S^2,\{4\,\text{points}\})}(D,U)\), where \((Y,T)=(X\backslash D,L\backslash U)\) is the complementary tangle. The group \(C^\natural(X,L)\) is generated by certain conjugacy classes of perturbed traceless representations \(\rho:\pi_1(X\backslash L)\to SU(2)\). Using the above decomposition, they can be viewed as the intersection of the restrictions \(R(Y,T)\) and \(R^\natural_\pi(D,U)\) with \(R(S^2,\{4\,\text{points}\})\simeq P\), where \(R(Y,T)\) is the traceless \(SU(2)\) character variety of the complementary tangle, \(R^\natural_\pi(D,U)\) is the perturbed traceless character variety of the trivial tangle, and \(R(S^2,\{4\,\text{points}\})\) is the traceless character variety of the 4-punctured 2-sphere where the tangles intersect that is isomorphic to the pillowcase \(P\). An immersion \(L:[0,1]\to S\) mapping the endpoints to distinct points in the boundary of \(S\) which is transverse to the boundary at its endpoints, and so that every lift of \(L\) to the universal cover of \(5\) is embedded is called an unobstructed immersed arc. An unobstructed immersed circle is an immersion of a circle \(L:S^1\to S\) so that each lift of the composite \(\mathbb R@>e>> S^1 @>L>> S\) to the universal cover of \(S\) is a properly embedded line, where \(e(t)=\exp(2\pi it)\). Either one of these is called an unobstructed immersed curve. In [Adv. Math. 217, No. 3, 1192--1235 (2008; Zbl 1155.57029)], \textit{M. Abouzaid} constructed a Lagrangian-Floer theory for unobstructed immersed curves in an oriented surface. In [Geom. Topol. 18, No. 1, 211--287 (2014; Zbl 1377.57016)], the present authors introduced explicit holonomy perturbations of the Chern-Simons functional on a 3-ball containing a pair of unknotted arcs, developed a particular method for efficient computation of the singular instanton knot homology of Kronheimer and Mrowka, and calculated the restriction map \(L_0:R^\natural_\pi(D,U)\to P\), showing that for certain perturbation data its image was an immersed circle with exactly one double point. The present article is a continuation of the above mentioned paper. The authors define an elementary relatively \(\mathbb{Z}/4\) graded Lagrangian-Floer chain complex for restricted immersions of compact \(1\)-manifolds into the pillowcase, apply it to the intersection diagram obtained by taking traceless \({SU}(2)\) character varieties of \(2\)-tangle decompositions of knots, explain calculations for torus knots in terms of pictures in the punctured plane, and explore the relation to the reduced instanton homology of knots. First, they construct a Lagrangian-Floer theory for curves in surfaces and present the construction of the pillowcase \(P\). A family \(\{L_0^{\varepsilon,g}\}\) of immersed circles with one double point in a certain regular homotopy class is formed, and a restricted immersed 1-manifold in \(P\) which is an immersion \(L_1:R\to P\), where either \(R\) is a circle and \(L_1\) misses the corners of \(P\), or \(R\) is an arc with endpoints mapping to the corners, is defined. Choosing \(L_0=L_0^{\varepsilon,g}\) transverse to a restricted Lagrangian \(L_1\), the authors define a chain complex \((C^\natural(L_0,L_1),\partial)\) with differential \(\partial\) determined by immersed bigons in the smooth part of \(P\) with boundary lying on \(L_0\) and \(L_1\), and they show how to endow this complex with a relative \(\mathbb Z/4\) grading. Next, the authors prove the main result of the paper by showing that the resulting Floer homology \(HF(L_0,L_1)\) depends only on the homotopy classes of the restricted immersed curves \(L_0,L_1\). They prove that if \((L_0,L_1)\) is a pair of restricted immersed \(1\)-manifolds in the pillowcase such that at least one of \(L_i\) consists only of circles, then there is a well-defined Floer homology group \(HF(L_0,L_1)\) whose relatively \(\mathbb Z/4\) graded isomorphism type depends only on the free homotopy type of the pair \((L_0,L_1)\). Next, the authors apply this construction to traceless character varieties of knots. If \((X,K)\) is a knot in a 3-manifold and \((S^2,\{a,b,c,d\})\subset(X,K)\) is a 2-sphere which separates \((X,K)\) into a trivial 2-tangle in the 3-ball \((D,U)\) and its complement \((Y,T)\), then generators of Kronheimer-Mrowka's reduced instanton knot complex can be identified with the intersection of \(L_0^{\varepsilon,g}\) and \(L_1:R(Y,T)\to P\). Hence, to such a decomposition and an appropriate holonomy perturbation \(\pi\) the corresponding Floer homology \(HF(L_0^{\varepsilon,g},L_1)\) denoted by \(H^\natural(Y,T,\pi)\) can be assigned. Finally, the authors present calculations for torus knots, which display a rich and complicated collection of examples. They find two appropriate perturbation curves in a useful tangle decomposition for any \((p,q)\) torus knot, and prove that there exist perturbations \(\pi\) so that \(R_\pi(Y,T)\) is a compact 1-manifold with two boundary points. By identification of \(R_\pi(Y,T)\) and its image in the pillowcase the authors give many calculations of \(H^\natural(Y,T,\pi)\) for tangles associated to torus knots.