Can somebody in a layman's language explain what is a Reidemeister Torsion? This seems to play an important role in path integral of 2+1-gravity as demonstrated here in arXiv:gr-qc/9406006. This is the only place I know in physics where algebraic topology bleeds into physics in a very unsubtle and unsettling way. Since, I have no knowledge of Riedemiester torsion or analytical torsion in general, any layman explanation in this regard is most welcome.
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