Augmentations and ruling polynomials for Legendrian graphs (Q2092754)

The main result of the article is the equivalance of two Legendrian isotopy invariants for bordered Legendrian graphs with Maslov potentials up to a normalization: augmentation numbers and ruling polynomials. More precisely for a bordered Legendrian graph \(L\) with a Maslov potential \(\mu\) the augmentation numbers are computed by ruling polynomials of \((L,\mu)\) defined via the combinatorics of decompositions of the front projection of \(L\) as follows, with an altered notation: \[ aug(L,\mu;\mathbb{F}_q)=q^{-(d+\hat{B})/2} z^{\hat{B}} \cdot R(L,\mu;q,z). \] Here the left hand side is the augmentation number defined for the Chekanov-Eliashberg bordered differential graded algebras, counted over \(\mathbb{F}_q\). On the right hand side \(R(L,\mu;q,z)\in\mathbb{Z}[q^{\pm 1/2}, z^{\pm 1}]\) is the two-variable ruling polynomial for \((L,\mu)\). Both sides depend on the choice of the boundary conditions (normal rulings) on the left and right borders. The authors also prove that the ruling polynomials satisfy a gluing property for the concatenations of bordered Legendrian graphs. Here is a brief and superficial overview of the terms involved. A bordered Legendrian graph \(L\) is a finite Legendrian graph in the standard contact \((\mathbb{R}^3,dz-ydx)\) with possibly left and right borders (valency-1 vertices). The borders lie in the left and right planes \(\{x_*\}\times\mathbb{R}_{yz}\) (\(x_*=x_L\) and \(x_R\) respectively) to which \(L\) is transverse. A Maslov potential \(\mu\) for \(L\) is an integer valued function on the connected components of the complement of the vertices and non-border \(x\)-extreme points of \(L\) (with respect to a regular front projection), with the condition that at a cusp (an \(x\)-extreme point which is not a vertex) the value of \(\mu\) is incremented by 1 from the lower to the upper edge. A Maslov potential induces integral functions on the borders. Under natural conditions two bordered Legendrian graphs can be concatenated. Similar to a Chekanov-Eliashberg DGA for Legendrian links [\textit{Y. Chekanov}, Invent. Math. 150, No. 3, 441--483 (2002; Zbl 1029.57011)] and Legendrian graphs [\textit{B. H. An} and \textit{Y. Bae}, J. Topol. 13, No. 2, 777--869 (2020; Zbl 1455.53095)], a Chekanov-Eliashberg bordered DGA for a bordered Legendrian graph \((L,\mu)\) is a triple of DGAs \((A_L,A,A_R)\), where the two border DGAs \(A_L,A_R\) are determined via border vertices and the restriction of \(\mu\), and there are particular morphisms from \(A_L\) and \(A_R\) into \(A\). An augmentation of a bordered DGA \(A\) over a field \(\mathbb{F}\) is a DGA morphism \(\epsilon: A\rightarrow \mathbb{F}\) with trivial differential. The augmentation variety of \(A\) is the algebraic variety of all possible augmentations of \(A\). In particular one can define augmentation varieties for a bordered Legendrian graph \((L,\mu)\), with respect to the left and right boundary conditions. These boundary conditions are coined as normal rulings and are given as special involutions on the set of border vertices. The normalized point counting over \(\mathbb{F}_q\) of an augmentation variety is called the augmentation number, which is proven by the authors to be a numerical Legendrian isotopy invariant up to equivalence of varieties.