On skein algebras and \(Sl_2(\mathbb{C})\)-character varieties (Q1806117)

This paper is motivated by a curious correspondence between the Kauffman bracket skein module of a 3-manifold and the \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})\) character variety of its fundamental group. Given a 3-manifold \(M\), its Kauffman bracket skein module \(S(M, A, R)\) is the free module generated by all links in \(M\), modulo the usual Kauffman bracket skein relation. [The \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})\) character variety of the fundamental group of a 3-manifold]. When \(A=-1\), \(S(M, -1, R)\) becomes a commutative ring with a naturally defined product \(L\cdot L' =L\cup L'\). Furthermore, the Kauffman bracket relation agrees with the well-known trace identity in SL(2). This connection was first observed by Bullock, and it has lead to the proof, due to \textit{D. Bullock} [Comment. Math. Helv. 72, No. 4, 521-542 (1997; Zbl 0907.57010)], and to the authors, that \(S(M, -1, R)\), modulo its nilradical, is isomorphic to the coordinate ring of the variety of \(\text{SL}_2\)-characters of \(\pi_1(M)\). This paper studies the skein algebra of a group. Its definition naturally arises from skein theory. In particular, when the group \(G\) is \(\pi_1\) of a 3-manifold \(M\), its skein algebra \(S(G,R)\) is \(S(M; R, -1)\). It turns out that \(S(G, R)\) is naturally isomorphic to an algebra \(TH_R(G)\) introduced by \textit{G. W. Brumfiel} and \textit{H. M. Hilden} [SL(2) representations of finitely presented groups, Contemp. Math. 187 (1995; Zbl 0838.20006)]. Based on this connection, and the work of Brumfiel-Hilden, the authors prove a number of results for \(S(G, R)\). For example, the relation between \(S(G, R)\) and the coordinate ring of the \(\text{SL}_2\)-character variety of \(G\), the result that \(S(G,R)\) actually does not contain any nilpotent elements for many classes of \(G\), the result that the skein algebra for \(M=F\times I\) has no 0 divisors, and the estimates for the minimal number of generators for various skein algebras.