The leading coefficient of the \(L^2\)-Alexander torsion (Q2673858)

The \(L^2\)-Alexander torsion is an invariant of a pair \((M, \phi)\) where \(M\) is a compact 3-manifold (usually irreducible, and with empty or toric boundary) and \(\phi \in H^1(M, \mathbb R)\). It is a function \(\tau^{(2)}(M, \phi)\) from the positive to the nonnegative real numbers, and it has been shown by \textit{Y. Liu} [Invent. Math. 207, No. 3, 981--1030 (2017; Zbl 1383.57019)] to be continuous and take positive values. If \(\phi\) is a fibred class (that is, its kernel is a surface subgroup of \(\pi_1(M)\)) then there is the explicit formula \(\tau^{(2)}(M, \phi)(t) = t^{x_M(\phi)}\) for \(t\gg 1\) and \(\tau^{(2)}(M, \phi)(t) = 1\) for \(t \ll 1\), where \(x_N(\phi)\) is the Thurston norm of \(\phi\). In general it is only known that (up to normalisation) \(\tau^{(2)}(M, \phi)(t) \sim C(M, \phi)t^{x_N(\phi)}\) (for some \(C(M, \phi) > 0\)) as \(t \to +\infty\) and \(\tau^{(2)}(M, \phi)(t) \gg t^\alpha\) for any \(\alpha >0\) as \(t \to 0\). In this paper the authors take on the study of \(C(M, \phi)\) in general. Their main result is stated as follows: let \(\Sigma\) be a surface dual to \(\phi\) which realises the Thurston norm, and let \(M \setminus\setminus \Sigma\) be \(M\) cut open at \(\Sigma\), with boundary components \(\Sigma_\pm\). Let \(M'\) be the union of components in the JSJ-decomposition of \(M\) where \(\phi\) restricts to the trivial class. Then \[ \tau^{(2)}(M') \le C(M, \phi) \le \tau^{(2)}(M \setminus\setminus\Sigma, \Sigma_-). \] The left-hand side is explicitely computed in terms of the simplicial volume by a result of \textit{W. Lück} and \textit{T. Schick} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 9, No. 3, 518--567 (1999; Zbl 0947.58024)]. On the other hand the right-hand side \(\tau^{(2)}(M \setminus\setminus\Sigma, \Sigma_-)\) is not well-understood in general but the authors manage to compute it in various cases. In particular they show that it is \(1\) for various hyperbolic non-fibred knots, and also give examples of knots where it is \(>1\).