A vanishing theorem for twisted Alexander polynomials with applications to symplectic 4-manifolds (Q388761)

If \(X\) is a finite \(CW\) complex, \(\varphi\in H^1(X,\mathbb{Z})=\text{Hom}(\pi_1(X),\mathbb{Z})\), and \(\alpha:\pi_1(X)\to \text{GL}(n,R)\) \((R=\mathbb{Z}\;\text{or}\;\mathbb{Q})\) is a representation over a Noetherian unique factorization domain \(R\), then a left \(\mathbb{Z}[\pi_1(X)]\)-module structure on \(R^n\otimes_{\mathbb{Z}}\mathbb{Z}[t^{\pm1}]=R^n[t^{\pm1}]\) is defined as: \(g\cdot(v\otimes p)=(\alpha(g)\cdot v)\otimes(t^{\varphi(g)}p)\), where \(g\in\pi_1(X)\) and \(v\otimes p\in R^n\otimes_{\mathbb{Z}}\mathbb{Z}[t^{\pm1}]=R^n[t^{\pm1}]\). Since \(X\) is compact and since \(R[t^{\pm1}]\) is Noetherian these modules are finitely presented over \(R[t^{\pm1}]\). The order \(\Delta^\alpha_{X,\varphi}\in R[t^{\pm1}]\) of \(H_1(X;R[t^{\pm1}])\) is called the twisted Alexander polynomial of \((X,\varphi,\alpha)\). A \(3\)-manifold pair is a pair \((N,\varphi)\), where \(N\) is a compact, orientable, connected \(3\)-manifold with toroidal or empty boundary, and \(\varphi\in H^1(X,\mathbb{Z})\) is a non-trivial class. \((N,\varphi)\) is said to fiber over \(S^1\) if there exists a fibration \(p:N\to S^1\) such that the induced map \(p_*:\pi_1(N)\to\pi_1(S^1)=\mathbb{Z}\) coincides with \(\varphi\). Then \(\varphi\) is called a fibered class. In this paper, the authors prove that for a \(3\)-manifold pair \((N,\varphi)\) if \(\varphi\in H^1(N)\) is non-fibered, then there exists an epimorphism \(\alpha:\pi_1(N)\to G\) onto a finite group G such that its twisted Alexander polynomial \(\Delta^\alpha_{X,\varphi}\) is zero. This result allows to completely classify symplectic \(4\)-manifolds with a free circle action, and to determine their symplectic cones.