Introduction to Combinatorial Torsions (Paperback)

I Algebraic Theory of Torsions.- 1 Torsion of chain complexes.- 2 Computation of the torsion.- 3 Generalizations and functoriality of the torsion.- 4 Homological computation of the torsion.- II Topological Theory of Torsions.- 5 Basics of algebraic topology.- 6 The Reidemeister-Franz torsion.- 7 The Whitehead torsion.- 8 Simple homotopy equivalences.- 9 Reidemeister torsions and homotopy equivalences.- 10 The torsion of lens spaces.- 11 Milnor's torsion and Alexander's function.- 12 Group rings of finitely generated abelian groups.- 13 The maximal abelian torsion.- 14 Torsions of manifolds.- 15 Links.- 16 The Fox Differential Calculus.- 17 Computing ?(M3) from the Alexander polynomial of links.- III Refined Torsions.- 18 The sign-refined torsion.- 19 The Conway link function.- 20 Euler structures.- 21 Torsion versus Seiberg-Witten invariants.- References.