We construct a braid conjugacy class invariant $κ$ by refining Plamenevskaya's transverse element $ψ$ in Khovanov homology via the annular grading. While $κ$ is not an invariant of transverse links, it distinguishes some braids whose closures share the same classical invariants but are not transversely isotopic. Using $κ$ we construct an obstruction to negative destabilization (stronger than $ψ$) and a solution to the word problem in braid groups. Also, $κ$ is a lower bound on the length of the spectral sequence from annular Khovanov homology to Khovanov homology, and we obtain concrete examples in which this spectral sequence does not collapse immediately. In addition, we study these constructions in reduced Khovanov homology and illustrate that the two reduced versions are fundamentally different with respect to the annular filtration.
In this paper, we introduce the annular instanton Floer homology which is defined for links in a thickened annulus. It is an analogue of the annular Khovanov homology. A spectral sequence whose second page is the annular Khovanov homology and which converges to the annular instanton Floer homology is constructed. As an application of this spectral sequence, we prove that the annular Khovanov homology detects the unlink in the thickened annulus (assuming all the components are null-homologous). Another application is a new proof of Grigsby and Ni's result that tangle Khovanov homology distingui…
This paper establishes that sutured annular Khovanov homology is not invariant for braid closures under axis-preserving mutations. This follows from an explicit relationship between sutured annular Khovanov homology and the classical Burau representation for braid closures.
We construct an equivariant version of annular Khovanov homology via the Frobenius algebra associated with $U(1) \times U(1)$-equivariant cohomology of $\mathbb{CP}^1$. Motivated by the relationship between the Temperley-Lieb algebra and annular Khovanov homology, we also introduce an equivariant analogue of the Temperley-Lieb algebra.
We define a third grading on Khovanov homology, which is an invariant of annular links but changes by $\pm 1$ under stabilization. We illustrate the use of our computer implementation, and give some example calculations.
Let $\widetilde{K}$ be a two-periodic braid and let $K$ be its quotient. In this paper we show there is a spectral sequence from the next-to-top winding number grading of the sutured annular Khovanov homology of the closure of $\widetilde{K}$ to the next-to-top winding number grading of the sutured annular Khovanov homology of the closure of $K$.
We exhibit infinite families of annular links for which the maximum non-zero annular Khovanov grading grows infinitely large but the maximum non-zero annular Floer-theoretic gradings are bounded. We also show this phenomenon exists at the decategorified level for some of the infinite families. Our computations provide further evidence for the wrapping conjecture of Hoste-Przytycki and its categorified analogue. Additionally, we show that certain satellite operations cannot be used to construct counterexamples to the categorified wrapping conjecture. We also extend the Batson-Seed link splittin…
We give some new link detection results for link Floer homology, Khovanov homology and annular Khovanov homology. The links we detect arise via different closure operations on $3$-braids. Examples of our results include that link Floer homology detects the Mazur link, that annular Khovanov homology detects the Mazur pattern, and that Khovanov homology detects L6a2 and L9n15. The Mazur pattern detection result depends on a new bound on the rank of the annular Khovanov homology of certain links.
We define an annular version of odd Khovanov homology and prove that it carries an action of the Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{gl}(1|1)$ which is preserved under annular Reidemeister moves.
We show if $L$ is any link in $S^3$ whose Khovanov homology is isomorphic to the Khovanov homology of $T(2,6)$ then $L$ is isotopic to $T(2,6)$. We show this for unreduced Khovanov homology with $\mathbb{Z}$ coefficients.
We introduce an sl(n) homology theory for knots and links in the thickened annulus. To do so, we first give a fresh perspective on sutured annular Khovanov homology, showing that its definition follows naturally from trace decategorifications of enhanced sl(2) foams and categorified quantum gl(m), via classical skew Howe duality. This framework then extends to give our annular sl(n) link homology theory, which we call sutured annular Khovanov-Rozansky homology. We show that the sl(n) sutured annular Khovanov-Rozansky homology of an annular link carries an action of the Lie algebra sl(n), which…
Using Dowlin's spectral sequence from Khovanov homology to knot Floer homology, we prove that reduced Khovanov homology (over $\mathbb{Q}$) detects the figure-eight knot.
A well-known conjecture of Rasmussen states that for any knot $K$ in $S^{3}$, the rank of the reduced Khovanov homology of $K$ is greater than or equal to the rank of the reduced knot Floer homology of $K$. This rank inequality is supposed to arise as the result of a spectral sequence from Khovanov homology to knot Floer homology. Using an oriented cube of resolutions construction for a homology theory related to knot Floer homology, we prove this conjecture.
In the first few homological gradings, there is an isomorphism between the Khovanov homology of a link and the categorification of the chromatic polynomial of a graph related to the link. In this article, we show that the categorification of the chromatic polynomial only contains torsion of order two, and hence Khovanov homology only contains torsion of order two in the gradings where the isomorphism is defined. We also prove that odd Khovanov homology is torsion-free in its first few homological gradings.
This paper is an introduction to Khovanov homology, starting with the Kauffman bracket state summation, emphasizing the Bar-Natan Canopoloy and tangle cobordism approach. The paper discusses a simplicial approach to Khovanov homology and a quantum model for it so that the graded Euler characteristic that produces the Jones polynomial from Khovanov homology becomes the trace of a unitary transformation on a Hilbert space associated with the Khovanov Homology.
Khovanov homology is a categorification of the Jones polynomial, so it may be seen as a kind of quantum invariant of knots and links. Although polynomial quantum invariants are deeply involved with Vassiliev (aka. finite type) invariants, the relation remains unclear in case of Khovanov homology. Aiming at it, in this paper, we discuss a categorified version of Vassiliev skein relation on Khovanov homology. More precisely, we will show that the "genus-one" operation gives rise to a crossing change on Khovanov complexes. Invariance under Reidemeister moves turns out, and it enables us to extend…
We show a spectral sequence for the rational Khovanov homology of an oriented link in terms of the rational Khovanov complexes and homologies of the link surgeries along an admissible cut. As a non trivial corollary, we give an explicit splitting formula for the Jones polynomial.
Khovanov-Floer theories are a class of homological link invariants which admit spectral sequences from Khovanov homology. They include Khovanov homology, Szab{ó}'s geometric link homology, singular instanton homology, and various Floer theories applied to branched double covers. In this short note we show that certain strong Khovanov-Floer theories, including Szab{ó} homology and singular instanton homology, are invariant under Conway mutation. This confirms conjectures of Seed and Lambert-Cole. Along the way we prove two other conjectures about the structure of Szab{ó} homology.
For an $m$-periodic link $L$, we show that the Khovanov-Rozansky $\mathfrak{sl}_N$-homology carries an action of the group $\mathbb{Z}_m$. As an example of applications, we prove an analog of the periodicity criterion of Borodzik--Politarczyk using $\mathfrak{sl}_N$-homology instead of Khovanov homology.
The purpose of this paper is to construct and study equivariant Khovanov homology - a version of Khovanov homology theory for periodic links. Since our construction works regardless of the characteristic of the coefficient ring it generalizes a previous construction by Chbili. We establish invariance under equivariant isotopies of links and study algebraic properties of integral and rational version of the homology theory. Moreover, we construct a skein spectral sequence converging to equivariant Khovanov homology and use this spectral sequence to compute, as an example, equivariant Khovanov h…
We introduce a version of Khovanov homology for alternating links with marking data, $ω$, inspired by instanton theory. We show that the analogue of the spectral sequence from Khovanov homology to singular instanton homology introduced in \cite{KM_unknot} for this marked Khovanov homology collapses on the $E_2$ page for alternating links. We moreover show that for non-split links the Khovanov homology we introduce for alternating links does not depend on $ω$; thus, the instanton homology also does not depend on $ω$ for non-split alternating links. Finally, we study a version of binary dihedral…
We classify all links whose Khovanov homology have ranks no greater than 8, and all three-component links whose Khovanov homology have ranks no greater than 12, where the coefficient ring is Z/2. The classification is based on the previous results of Kronheimer-Mrowka, Batson-Seed, Baldwin-Sivek, and the authors.
Let L be a link in a thickened annulus. We show that its sutured annular Khovanov homology carries an action of the exterior current algebra of the Lie algebra sl_2. When L is an m-framed n-cable of a knot K in the three-sphere, its sutured annular Khovanov homology carries a commuting action of the symmetric group S_n. One therefore obtains a "knotted" Schur-Weyl representation that agrees with classical sl_2 Schur-Weyl duality when K is the Seifert-framed unknot.
We prove that any link in $S^3$ whose Khovanov homology is the same as that of a Hopf link must be isotopic to that Hopf link. This holds for both reduced and unreduced Khovanov homology, and with coefficients in either $\mathbb{Z}$ or $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$.
We modify the definition of the Khovanov complex for oriented links in a thickening of an oriented surface to obtain a triply graded homological link invariant with a new homotopical grading.
The Jones polynomial is a famous link invariant that can be defined diagrammatically via a skein relation. Khovanov homology is a richer link invariant that categorifies the Jones polynomial. Using spectral sequences, we obtain a skein-type relation satisfied by the Khovanov homology. Thanks to this relation, we are able to generalize the Khovanov homology in order to obtain a categorification of the $θ$-invariant, which is itself a generalization of the Jones polynomial.
We prove that the Khovanov-Lee complex of an oriented link, L, in a thickened annulus, A x I, has the structure of a bifiltered complex whose filtered chain homotopy type is an invariant of the isotopy class of L in A x I. Using ideas of Ozsvath-Stipsicz-Szabo as reinterpreted by Livingston, we use this structure to define a family of annular Rasmussen invariants that yield information about annular and non-annular cobordisms. Focusing on the special case of annular links obtained as braid closures, we use the behavior of the annular Rasmussen invariants to obtain a necessary condition for bra…
We show that the cobordism maps on Khovanov homology can distinguish smooth surfaces in the 4-ball that are exotically knotted (i.e., isotopic through ambient homeomorphisms but not ambient diffeomorphisms). We develop new techniques for distinguishing cobordism maps on Khovanov homology, drawing on knot symmetries and braid factorizations. We also show that Plamenevskaya's transverse invariant in Khovanov homology is preserved by maps induced by positive ascending cobordisms.
In this note, we show that if there is a knot in $S^3$ having $\mathbb{Z}_m$ torsion in its Khovanov homology, then there are infinitely many hyperbolic knots and infinitely many prime satellite knots having $\mathbb{Z}_m$ torsion in their Khovanov homology. As an application, we give the first known examples of hyperbolic knots and links with odd (and other non-$\mathbb{Z}_2$ torsion) in their Khovanov homology.
This short note resolves the most important part of the PS braid conjecture while introducing the first known examples of knots and links with odd torsion of order 9, 27, 81, and 25 in their even Khovanov homology.
We show that colored Khovanov homology detects classes of essential surfaces as a direct analogue of the slope conjectures for the colored Jones polynomial. We do this by identifying certain generators of the colored Khovanov chain complex with normal surfaces in the complement of the knot using an ideal triangulation from a diagram.
We adapt Bar-Natan's scanning algorithm for fast computations in (even) Khovanov homology to odd Khovanov homology. We use a mapping cone construction instead of a tensor product, which allows us to deal efficiently with the more complicated sign assignments in the odd theory. The algorithm has been implemented in a computer program. We also use the algorithm to determine the odd Khovanov homology of 3-strand torus links.
Khovanov homology of a link and chromatic graph homology are known to be isomorphic in a range of homological gradings that depend on the girth of a graph. We discuss patterns shared by these two homology theories. In particular, we improve the bounds for the homological span of chromatic homology by Helme-Guizon, Przytycki and Rong. An explicit formula for the rank of the third chromatic homology group on the main diagonal is given and used to compute the corresponding Khovanov homology group and the fourth coefficient of the Jones polynomial for links with certain diagrams.
It is known that the maximal homological degree of the Khovanov homology of a knot gives a lower bound of the minimal positive crossing number of the knot. In this paper, we show that the maximal homological degree of the Khovanov homology of a cabling of a knot gives a lower bound of the minimal positive crossing number of the knot.
We study a notion of distance between knots, defined in terms of the number of saddles in ribbon concordances connecting the knots. We construct a lower bound on this distance using the X-action on Lee's perturbation of Khovanov homology.
