State integrals (and their building block, the quantum dilogarithm) express the partition function of complex Chern-Simons theory of triangulated 3-manifolds with boundary. I will give an introduction to the subject, focusing on examples, as well as recent results on expressing state integrals in terms of Neumann-Zagier data
and in terms of q-series of Nahm type. This is work joint in parts with R. Kashaev and D. Zagier.
Links:
[1] https://www.mpim-bonn.mpg.de/de/taxonomy/term/39
[2] https://www.mpim-bonn.mpg.de/de/node/5312