Higher dimensional twisted Alexander polynomials for metabelian representations (Q2401736)

The aim of this paper is to give an asymptotic equivalent when \(N \to +\infty\) for the Alexander polynomials of a knot twisted by the \(2N\)-th symmetric power of a given metabelian representation of the knot group into \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb C)\). In this case a metabelian representation \(\rho\) is a representation with solvable image, and the Alexander polynomial \(\Delta_{K, \rho}\) is a rational function of a variable \(t\) which is essentially given by the Reidemeister torsion with coefficients in the representation of the infinite cyclic cover dual to a Seifert surface for the knot. It can also be computed from a presentation for the knot group, and this is how the authors introduce it. The main result is that \[ \lim_{N \to +\infty} \left(\frac{\log \Delta_{K, \rho_{2N}}(t)}{2N}\right) = F(t) \] where \(F\) is a function depending on \(\rho\). Specializing this to \(t=1\) one obtains the asymptotic behaviour of the Reidemeister torsions of \(E_K\) with coefficients in \(\rho_{2N}\). When \(E_K\) is hyperbolic and \(\rho\) is the adjoint representation of the monodromy group, the asymptotic behaviour of torsion with coefficients in \(\rho_{2N}\) was studied in work of \textit{P. Menal-Ferrer} and \textit{J. Porti} [J. Topol. 7, No. 1, 69--119 (2014; Zbl 1302.57044)] and was shown to be exponential in \(N^2\). The metabelian representations studied in the paper under review correspond to ``degenerate'' hyperbolic structures on \(E_K\) and the authors note that this is reflected in the fact that here as well as in other contexts (see [\textit{Y. Yamaguchi}, Indiana Univ. Math. J. 66, No. 2, 463--493 (2017; Zbl 1372.57031), \textit{A. Tran} and \textit{Y. Yamaguchi}, ``The asymptotics of the higher dimensional Reidemeister torsion for exceptional surgeries along twist knots'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1607.06628}]) the asymptotic behaviour of torsion is exponential in \(N\) instead of \(N^2\). The proof of the asymptotic result is very short and goes as follows. Let \(K\) be a knot, then there is a presentation of the knot group \(\pi_1(E_K)\) with generators \(\mu, x_1, \ldots, x_{2g}\) (``Lin presentation'') such that any metabelian representation \(\rho\) of \(\pi_1(E_K)\) to \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb C)\) maps each \(x_i\) to a diagonal matrix of finite order, and \(\mu\) to the symmetry \(\begin{pmatrix} 0 & -1 \\ 1 & 0 \end{pmatrix}\). From this it is easy to see that the even symmetric powers \(\rho_{2N}\) decompose as a direct sum of 2-dimensional representations. The asymptotic behaviour and the expression for \(F(t)\) are then immediately deduced from the order of the matrices \(\rho(x_i)\). In the case where \(K\) is a 2-bridge knot \(J(2m, \pm 2n)\) (see Figure 1 in the reviewed paper) the authors go into the computation in more detail and give the following expression for \(F\) : \[ F(t) = \frac 1{2q} \log \left( \frac{m^2n^2t^4 + (2m^2n^2 \mp 4mn + 1)t^2 + m^2n^2}{(t^2 + 1)^2}\right) + \frac 1 2 \log(t^2 + 1) \] for some integer \(q\) depending on \(\rho\) (via the orders as above).