Une construction intrinsèque du cœur de l'invariant de Casson. (An intrinsic construction of the core of Casson's invariant) (Q5956587)

Generalizing work of Johnson, \textit{S. Morita} [Topology 28, No. 3, 305-323 (1989; Zbl 0684.57008); Ann. Inst. Fourier 39, No. 3, 777-810 (1989; Zbl 0672.57015)] constructed two morphisms \(d\) and \(q\) with values in the rationals (which he called the ``core of the Casson invariant''), defined on the ``Johnson subgroup'' \({\mathcal K}_{g,1}\) of the Torelli group \({\mathcal T}_{g,1}\) (the subgroup of the mapping class group \({\mathcal M}_{g,1}\) of a closed orientable surface, relative an embedded disk, which operates trivially on the first homology of the surface), with the following two properties: all integer homology spheres can be constructed by Heegaard splittings using elements of \({\mathcal K}_{g,1}\) as gluing maps; the sum \(d+q\) has values in the integers and coincides with the Casson invariant of a homology 3-sphere. Morita conjectured also that a subgroup of \({\mathcal K}_{g,1}\) on which \(q\) is trivial is sufficient to construct all homology spheres. ``Cet article est essentiellement un remake de [Mor 89a,b] (i.e. of the two articles mentioned above). Cependant nous espérons que notre présentation purement cohomologique de la construction de \(d\), qui évite presque tout calcul ainsi que le choix arbitraire de cocycles, convaincra de l'aspect parfaitement intrinsèque de cet homomorphisme''.