Classification of pairs of Arf functions on orientable and nonorientable surfaces (Q1892799)

An Arf function is a quadratic form on the homology group \(H_1 (P, \mathbb{Z}_2)\) of a surface \(P\). These quadratic forms describe topological types of spinor bundles on complex algebraic curves and the Arf functions provide global invariants in the classical classification problem for coverings of surfaces. Recently it has been shown that Arf functions and systems of Arf functions describe topological properties of supersymmetric conformal models in mathematical physics, such as the string theory and sigma models. The paper considers Arf functions on arbitrary surfaces with a finitely generated fundamental group. On the classical surface \(P\) (an orientable surface without boundary) an Arf function is a function \(\omega: H_1 (P, \mathbb{Z}_2)\to \mathbb{Z}_2= \{0, 1\}\) such that \(\omega (a+b)= \omega(a)+ \omega(b)+ (a,b)\), where \((a,b)\in \mathbb{Z}_2\) is the intersection number. Each non-classical surface has the form \(\widetilde {P}= P|\langle \tau\rangle\), where \(P\) is a classical surface and \(\tau: P\to P\) is an involutive homeomorphism reversing the orientation. An Arf function on \(\widetilde {P}\) is an Arf function \(\omega\) on \(P\) such that \(\omega (\tau(c))= \omega (c)\) for all \(c\in H_1= H_1 (P, \mathbb{Z}_2)\). Tuples \(\omega^i_1, \dots, \omega^i_k\) of Arf functions on classical surfaces \(P^i\), \(i=1, 2\), are homeomorphic if there exists a homeomorphism \(f: P^1\to P^2\) such that \(\omega^2_j (f(c))= \omega^1_j (c)\) for all \(c\in H_1\), \(j=1, \dots, k\). Tuples \(\omega_1^i, \dots, \omega^i_k\) of Arf functions on non-classical surfaces \(\widetilde {P}^i= P^i|\langle \tau_i \rangle\), \(i=1,2\), are homeomorphic if there exists a homeomorphism \(f: P^1\to P^2\) such that \(f(\tau_1 (p))= \tau_2 (f(p))\) and \(\omega_j^1 (c)= \omega_j^2 (f(c))\) for all \(p\in P\), \(c\in H_1\), \(j=1, \dots, k\). The author finds complete systems of topological invariants for the homeomorphy classes of Arf function and of pairs of Arf functions. Consider an Arf function \(\omega: H_1 (P, \mathbb{Z}_2)\to \mathbb{Z}_2\). Let \(\delta (P, \omega)=0\) if there exists a basis \(v\) such that \(\sum^g_{i=1} \omega (a_i) \omega (b_i)\equiv 0\pmod 2\). Otherwise, set \(\delta (P, \omega)=1\). According to classical results, the homeomorphic class of an Arf function on a compact classical surface \(P\) is completely determined by the genus \(g= g(P)\) and by \(\delta\in \mathbb{Z}_2\). If \(P\) is a noncompact classical surface, then the homeomorphy class of an Arf function \(\omega\) on \(P\) (such a function is often denoted by \((P, \omega)\)) is, in addition, associated with the number \(n_\alpha= n_\alpha (P,\omega)\) \((\alpha= 0,1)\) defined as follows: \(n_\alpha\) is the number of elements \(c_j\) of an arbitrary basis \(v\) such that \(\omega (c_j)= \alpha\). The tuple \((g(P), \delta (P, \omega), n_\alpha (P,\omega))\) will be referred to as the type of the Arf function \(\omega\) on the classical surface \(P\). Homeomorphic Arf functions have the same types. Theorem. The tuple \((g, \delta, n_\alpha)\) is the type of some Arf function \(\omega\) on a classical surface \(P\) if and only if \(n_1\equiv 0\pmod 2\) and \(\delta=0\) for \(n_1>0\). In this case there exists a basis \[ v= \{a_i,\;b_i\;(i=1, \dots, g),\;c_j\;(j=1, \dots, n)\} \subset H_1 (P, \mathbb{Z}_2) \] such that \(\omega(a_1)= \omega(b_1)= \delta\) and \(\omega(a_i)= \omega(b_i) =0\) for \(i>1\). Arf functions of the same type are homeomorphic.