Gluing equations for \(\mathrm{PGL}(n, \mathbb{C})\)-representations of 3-manifolds (Q2340090)

Let \(M\) be a compact 3-manifold \(M\) together with a topological ideal triangulation \(\mathcal{T}\) of the interior of \(M\). Thurston's gluing equations are a system of polynomial equations consisting of an edge equation for each 1-cell of \(T\) and a cusp equation for each generator of the fundamental group of each boundary component of \(M\). The gluing equations were introduced to concretely construct a complete finite-volume hyperbolic structure on \(M\) from a (suitable) solution to the gluing equations. Although Thurston only considered manifolds whose boundary components are tori (a necessary condition for the existence of a solution yielding a finite-volume hyperbolic structure), the gluing equations are defined for manifolds with arbitrary (possibly empty) boundary. Denote by \(V_2(\mathcal{T})\) the affine variety of solutions in \(\mathbb{C}\setminus \{0,1\}\) to only the edge equations. Then there exists a developing map \[ V_2(\mathcal{T})\to \{ \rho: \pi_1(M)\to \text{PGL}(2,\mathbb{C})\}/\text{conjugation}. \] In general the map is neither onto nor finite-to-one. However if the triangulation is sufficiently fine (barycentric subdivision turns any triangulation into a sufficiently fine triangulation), then the developing map is onto. A solution that also satisfies the cusp equations gives rise to a representation that is boundary-unipotent, i.e.\ it takes peripheral curves to unipotent elements. In the paper under review the authors introduce new gluing equations. If \(V_n(\mathcal{T})\) denotes the affine variety of solutions in \(\mathbb{C}\setminus \{0,1\}\) to the new gluing equations, then the authors show that there exists a developing map \[ V_n(\mathcal{T})\to \{ \rho: \pi_1(M)\to \text{PGL}(n,\mathbb{C})\text{ boundary-Borel}\}/\text{conjugation} \] which is surjective if the triangulation is sufficiently fine.