Abstract : A surface system for a link in $S^3$ is a collection of embedded Seifert surfaces for the components, that are allowed to intersect one another. When do two $n$–component links with the same pairwise linking numbers admit homeomorphic surface systems? It turns out this holds if and only if the link exteriors are bordant over the free abelian group $\mathbb{Z}_n$. In this talk we characterise these geometric conditions in terms of algebraic link invariants in two ways: first the triple linking numbers and then the fundamental groups of the links. This involves a detailed study of the indeterminacy of Milnor's triple linking numbers.
Based on joint work with Chris Davis, Matthias Nagel and Patrick Orson.