Non-involutory Hopf algebras and 3-manifold invariants

Abstract

We present a definition of an invariant #(M,H), defined for every finite-dimensional Hopf algebra (or Hopf superalgebra or Hopf object) H and for every closed, framed 3-manifold M. When H is a quantized universal enveloping algebra, #(M,H) is closely related to well-known quantum link invariants such as the HOMFLY polynomial, but it is not a topological quantum field theory.