A note on the $\Theta$-invariant of 3-manifolds

Abstract

In this note, we revisit the $\Theta$-invariant as defined by R. Bott and the first author. The $\Theta$-invariant is an invariant of rational homology 3-spheres with acyclic orthogonal local systems, which is a generalization of the 2-loop term of the Chern-Simons perturbation theory. The $\Theta$-invariant can be defined when a cohomology group is vanishing. In this note, we give a slightly modified version of the $\Theta$-invariant that we can define even if the cohomology group is not vanishing.