Quandle theory and the optimistic limits of the representations of link groups (Q1744255)

Given a link \(L\), the manifold \(S^{3}\setminus L\) has a hyperbolic structure (the \textit{hyperbolic structure of }\(L\)) whenever there exists a discrete faithful representation \(\rho :\pi _{1}\left( L\right) \rightarrow PSL\left( 2,\mathbb{C}\right) \), and by Mostow rigidity the structure is unique. One standard method to find the hyperbolic structure of \(L\) is to consider some triangulation of \(S^{3}\setminus L\) and solve certain sets of equations, called the hyperbolicity equations, which have multiple solutions. Each solution coming from the tetrahedra is called a boundary-parabolic representation, and only one of these is the actual geometric representation. Recently, \textit{A. Inoue} and \textit{Y. Kabaya} [Geom. Dedicata 171, 265--292 (2014; Zbl 1300.57012)] developed a method of constructing such representations using the link diagram \(D\) and the geometric representation \(\rho\). Using \textit{quandle homology} (an algebraic system that changes naturally with Reidemeister moves), they constructed explicit hyperbolic tetrahedra of a certain triangulation of \(S^{3}\setminus L\) determined by \(\rho \). This triangulation, the \textit{octahedral triangulation }of \(S^{3}\setminus \left( L\cup \left\{ \text{two points} \right\} \right) \), arises naturally from the link diagram and is used to define the \textit{optimistic limit of the Kashaev invariant} [\textit{J. Cho} et al., J. Knot Theory Ramifications 23, No. 9, Article ID 1450049, 32 p. (2014; Zbl 1320.57015)]. In this triangulation, the octahedra coming from the decomposition of \(S^{3}\setminus \left( L\cup \left\{ \text{two points} \right\} \right) \) are subdivided into four tetrahedra. The volume conjecture from [\textit{R. M. Kashaev}, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 10, No. 19, 1409--1418 (1995; Zbl 1022.81574)] relates the limits of the so-called Kashaev invariants with hyperbolic volumes. The limit of the Kashaev invariant was proven to coincide with the hyperbolic volume in [\textit{Y. Yokota}, J. Knot Theory Ramifications 20, No. 7, 955--976 (2011; Zbl 1226.57025)]. The author develops a new method to explicitly construct the solutions of the hyperbolicity equations of the octahedral triangulation, using only the quandle and \(\rho\). Further, the author obtains the hyperbolic volume and Chern-Simons invariant from the explicit solutions. The octahedral triangulation is sufficiently robust to obtain and study all boundary-parabolic representations of the link group.