Linking forms revisited

Abstract

We show that the $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$-valued linking forms on rational homology spheres are (anti-) symmetric and we compute the linking form of a 3-dimensional rational homology sphere in terms of a Heegaard splitting. Both results have been known to a larger or lesser degree, but it is difficult to find rigorous down-to-earth proofs in the literature.

15 pages, a sign error was fixed in the main theorem, final version, to appear in Pure and Applied Mathematics Quarterly