RESHETIKHIN-TURAEV AND CRANE-KOHNO-KONTSEVICH 3-MANIFOLD INVARIANTS COINCIDE (Q5286041)

Let \(\Sigma\) be a genus \(g\) surface and let \(M_ g\) be the modular group (mapping class group). The author compares two projective representations of \(M_ g\), \(g > 0\), in the vectorspace \(V(\Sigma)\) of conformal blocks on \(\Sigma\) (the complex vector space with basis a set of ``admissible'' colorings of a graph dual to a pant decomposition of \(\Sigma\)). The first one is defined by \textit{L. Crane} [Commun. Math. Phys. 135, No. 3, 615-640 (1991; Zbl 0717.57007)] and \textit{T. Kohno} [Topology 31, No. 2, 203-230 (1992; Zbl 0762.57011)] and based on rational conformal field theory. The second one is induced, via some isomorphism defined by the author, from representations defined by \textit{N. Reshitikhin} and \textit{V. G. Turaev} [Invent. Math. 103, No. 3, 547-597 (1991; Zbl 0725.57007)] in their work on invariants of 3-manifolds from quantum groups. The proof of coincidence of the representations consists of computations of representation matrices of some extension of modular groups, the so called duality groupoid (for the definition see the paper by Crane). It follows that invariants of oriented close 3-manifolds defined by the two approaches coincide. This result has been previously announced by Ronnie Lee and seems implicitly contained in the work of \textit{V. G. Turaev} [Proc. Int. Congr. Math., Kyoto/Japan 1990, Vol. I, 689-698 (1991; Zbl 0744.57007)]. Finally the author appeals to work of Kontsevitch to deduce that the topological quantum field theory defined by Reshitikhin-Turaev coincides with the one ``induced'' by a construction of Kontsevitch from the ``modular functor'' of Crane and Kohno.