## Dimensionally-reduced sutured Floer homology as a string homology

Joint with Eric Schoenfeld.

We show that the sutured Floer homology of a sutured 3-manifold of the form $(D^2 \times S^1, F \times S^1)$ can be expressed as the homology of a string-type complex, generated by certain sets of curves on $(D^2, F)$ and with a differential given by resolving crossings. We also give some generalisations of this isomorphism, computing “hat” and “infinity” versions of this string homology. In addition to giving interesting elementary facts about the algebra of curves on surfaces, these isomorphisms are inspired by, and establish further, connections between invariants from Floer homology and string topology.

## Itsy bitsy topological field theory

We construct an elementary, combinatorial kind of topological quantum field theory, based on curves, surfaces, and orientations. The construction derives from contact invariants in sutured Floer homology and is essentially an elaboration of a TQFT defined by Honda–Kazez–Matic. This topological field theory stores information in binary format on a surface and has “digital” creation and annihilation operators, giving a toy-model embodiment of “it from bit”.

## Sutured TQFT, torsion, and tori

We use the theory of sutured TQFT to classify contact elements in the sutured Floer homology, with Z coefficients, of certain sutured manifolds of the form $(\Sigma \times S^1, F \times S^1)$ where $\Sigma$ is an annulus or punctured torus. Using this classification, we give a new proof that the contact invariant in sutured Floer homology with Z coefficients of a contact structure with Giroux torsion vanishes. We also give a new proof of Massot’s theorem that the contact invariant vanishes for a contact structure on $(\Sigma \times S^1, F \times S^1)$ described by an isolating dividing set.

## The hyperbolic meaning of the Milnor–Wood inequality

We introduce a notion of the twist of an isometry of the hyperbolic plane. This twist function is defined on the universal covering group of orientation-preserving isometries of the hyperbolic plane, at each point in the plane. We relate this function to a function defined by Milnor and generalised by Wood. We deduce various properties of the twist function, and use it to give new proofs of several well-known results, including the Milnor–Wood inequality, using purely hyperbolic-geometric methods. Our methods express inequalities in Milnor’s function as equalities, with the deficiency from equality given by an area in the hyperbolic plane. We find that the twist of certain products found in surface group presentations is equal to the area of certain hyperbolic polygons arising as their fundamental domains.

## Hyperbolic cone-manifold structures with prescribed holonomy II: higher genus

We consider the relationship between hyperbolic cone-manifold structures on surfaces, and algebraic representations of the fundamental group into a group of isometries. A hyperbolic cone-manifold structure on a surface, with all interior cone angles being integer multiples of $2\pi$, determines a holonomy representation of the fundamental group. We ask, conversely, when a representation of the fundamental group is the holonomy of a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure. In this paper we build upon previous work with punctured tori to prove results for higher genus surfaces. Our techniques construct fundamental domains for hyperbolic cone-manifold structures, from the geometry of a representation. Central to these techniques are the Euler class of a representation, the group $\widetilde{PSL_2\mathbb{R}}$, the twist of hyperbolic isometries, and character varieties. We consider the action of the outer automorphism and related groups on the character variety, which is measure-preserving with respect to a natural measure derived from its symplectic structure, and ergodic in certain regions. Under various hypotheses, we almost surely or surely obtain a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure with prescribed holonomy.

## Sutured Floer Homology, Sutured TQFT and Non-Commutative QFT

We define a “sutured topological quantum field theory”, motivated by the study of sutured Floer homology of product 3-manifolds, and contact elements. We study a rich algebraic structure of suture elements in sutured TQFT, showing that it corresponds to contact elements in sutured Floer homology. We use this approach to make computations of contact elements in sutured Floer homology over Z of sutured manifolds $(D^2 \times S^1, F \times S^1)$ where F is finite. This generalises previous results of the author over Z_2 coefficients. Our approach elaborates upon the quantum field theoretic aspects of sutured Floer homology, building a non-commutative Fock space, together with a bilinear form deriving from a certain combinatorial partial order; we show that the sutured TQFT of discs is isomorphic to this Fock space.

## Hyperbolic cone-manifold structures with prescribed holonomy I: punctured tori

We consider the relationship between hyperbolic cone-manifold structures on surfaces, and algebraic representations of the fundamental group into a group of isometries. A hyperbolic cone-manifold structure on a surface, with all interior cone angles being integer multiples of $2\pi$, determines a holonomy representation of the fundamental group. We ask, conversely, when a representation of the fundamental group is the holonomy of a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure. In this paper we prove results for the punctured torus; in the sequel, for higher genus surfaces. We show that a representation of the fundamental group of a punctured torus is a holonomy representation of a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure with no interior cone points and a single corner point if and only if it is not virtually abelian. We construct a pentagonal fundamental domain for hyperbolic structures, from the geometry of a representation. Our techniques involve the universal covering group $\widetilde{PSL_2\mathbb{R}}$ of the group of orientation-preserving isometries of $\mathbb{H}^2$ and Markoff moves arising from the action of the mapping class group on the character variety.

## Chord diagrams, contact-topological quantum field theory, and contact categories

We consider contact elements in the sutured Floer homology of solid tori with longitudinal sutures, as part of the (1+1)-dimensional topological quantum field theory defined by Honda–Kazez–Mati\'{c}. The Z_2 SFH of these solid tori forms a “categorification of Pascal’s triangle”, and contact structures correspond bijectively to chord diagrams, or sets of disjoint properly embedded arcs in the disc. Their contact elements are distinct and form distinguished subsets of SFH of order given by the Narayana numbers. We find natural “creation and annihilation operators” which allow us to define a QFT-type basis of each SFH vector space, consisting of contact elements. Sutured Floer homology in this case reduces to the combinatorics of chord diagrams. We prove that contact elements are in bijective correspondence with comparable pairs of basis elements with respect to a certain partial order, and in a natural and explicit way. The algebraic and combinatorial structures in this description have intrinsic contact-topological meaning. In particular, the QFT-basis of SFH and its partial order have a natural interpretation in pure contact topology, related to the contact category of a disc: the partial order enables us to tell when the sutured solid cylinder obtained by “stacking” two chord diagrams has a tight contact structure. This leads us to extend Honda’s notion of contact category to a “bounded” contact category, containing chord diagrams and contact structures which occur within a given contact solid cylinder. We compute this bounded contact category in certain cases. Moreover, the decomposition of a contact element into basis elements naturally gives a triple of contact structures on solid cylinders which we regard as a type of “distinguished triangle” in the contact category. We also use the algebraic structures arising among contact elements to extend the notion of contact category to a 2-category.

## Chord diagrams, topological quantum field theory, and the sutured Floer homology of solid tori

This is a previous version of the article Chord diagrams, contact-topological quantum field theory, and contact categories. It contains less content, in particular about contact categories, but is less terse (or more prolix!) and contains more background. It might be useful for some readers, and so I retain it here, even though it has been superseded by that article.