A virtual string is a scheme of self-intersections of a closed curve on a surface. We introduce virtual strings and study their geometric properties and homotopy invariants. We also discuss connections between virtual strings, Gauss words, and virtual knots.
We introduce three kinds of invariants of a virtual knot called the first, second, and third intersection polynomials. The definition is based on the intersection number of a pair of curves on a closed surface. The calculations of intersection polynomials are given up to crossing number four. We also study several properties of intersection polynomials.
A virtual string is a scheme of self-intersections of a closed curve on a surface. We study algebraic invariants of strings as well as two equivalence relations on the set of strings: homotopy and cobordism. We show that the homotopy invariants of strings form an infinite dimensional Lie group. We also discuss connections between virtual strings and virtual knots.
We prove that parities on virtual knots come from invariant 1-cycles on the arcs of knot diagrams. In turn, the invariant cycles are determined by quasi-indices on the crossings of the diagrams. The found connection between the parities and the (quasi)-indices allows to define a new series of parities on virtual knots.
A flat virtual link is a finite collection of oriented closed curves $\mathfrak L$ on an oriented surface $M$ considered up to virtual homotopy, i.e., a composition of elementary stabilizations, destabilizations, and homotopies. Specializing to a pair of curves $(L_1,L_2)$, we show that the minimal number of intersection points of curves in the virtual homotopy class of $(L_1, L_2)$ equals to the number of terms of a generalization of the Anderson--Mattes--Reshetikhin Poisson bracket. Furthermore, considering a single curve, we show that the minimal number of self-intersections of a curve in i…
By using the equivariant localization formula of toric varieties. We prove the vanishing of the Witten genus of some string complete intersections in smooth toric varieties.
We extend the notion of intersection graphs for knots in the theory of finite type invariants to string links. We use our definition to develop weight systems for string links via the adjacency matrix of the intersection graph, and show that these weight systems are related to the weight systems induced by the Conway and Homfly polynomials.
A virtual string can be defined as an equivalence class of planar diagrams under certain kinds of diagrammatic moves. Virtual strings are related to virtual knots in that a simple operation on a virtual knot diagram produces a diagram for a virtual string. In this paper we consider three operations on a virtual string or virtual strings which produce another virtual string, namely covering, composition and cabling. In particular we study virtual strings unchanged by the covering operation. We also show how the based matrix of a composite virtual string is related to the based matrices of its c…
Cobordism of virtual string links on $n$ strands is a combinatorial generalization of link cobordism. There exists a bijection between virtual string links up to cobordisms and elements of the group $\mathbb{Z}^{n(n-1)}$. This paper also shows that virtual string links up to unwelded equivalence are classified by those groups. Finally, the related theory of welded string link cobordism is defined herein and shown to be trivial for string links with one component.
In this paper we investigate the virtual string links via a probabilistic interpretation. This representation can be used to distinguish some virtual string links from classical string links. In order to study the algebraic structure behind this probabilistic interpretation we introduce the notion of virtual flat biquandle. The cocycle invariants associated with virtual flat biquandle is discussed.
In a previous paper, we defined an operation $μ$ that generalizes Turaev's cobracket for loops on a surface. We showed that, in contrast to the cobracket, this operation gives a formula for the minimum number of self-intersections of a loop in a given free homotopy class. In this paper we consider the corresponding question for virtual strings. We show that $μ$ gives a bound on the minimal self-intersection number of a virtual string which is stronger than a bound given by Turaev's virtual string cobracket. We use Turaev's based matrices to describe strings $α$ such that $μ$ gives a formula fo…
Extended Alexander groups are used to define an invariant for open virtual strings. Examples of non-commuting open strings and a ribbon-concordance obstruction are given. An example is given of a slice virtual open string that is not ribbon. Definitions are extended to open n-strings.
A virtual string can be defined as a closed curve on a surface modulo certain equivalence relations. Turaev defined several invariants of virtual strings which we use to produce a table of virtual strings up to 4 crossings. We discuss progress in extending the tabulation to 5 crossings. We also provide a counter-example to a statement of Kadokami.
A virtual $n$-string $α$ is a collection of $n$ oriented smooth generic loops on a surface $M$. A stabilization of $α$ is a surgery that results in attaching a handle to $M$ along disks avoiding $α$, and the inverse operation is a destabilization of $α$. We consider virtual $n$-strings up to virtual homotopy, i.e., sequences of stabilizations, destabilizations, and homotopies of $α$. Recently, Cahn proved that any virtual $1$-string can be virtually homotoped to a genus-minimal and crossing-minimal representative by monotonically decreasing both genus and the number of self-intersections. We g…
A virtual $n$-string is a chord diagram with $n$ core circles and a collection of arrows between core circles. We consider virtual $n$-strings up to virtual homotopy, compositions of flat virtual Reidemeister moves on chord diagrams. Given a virtual 1-string $α$, Turaev associated a based matrix that encodes invariants of the virtual homotopy class of $α$. We generalize Turaev's method to associate a multistring based matrix to virtual $n$-strings, addressing an open problem of Turaev and constructing similar invariants for virtual homotopy classes of virtual $n$-strings.
A Gauss paragraph is a combinatorial formulation of a generic closed curve with multiple components on some surface. A virtual string is a collection of circles with arrows that represent the crossings of such a curve. Every closed curve has an underlying virtual string and every virtual string has an underlying Gauss paragraph. A word-wise partition is a partition of the alphabet set of a Gauss paragraph that satisfies certain conditions with respect to the Gauss paragraph. In this paper we use the theory of virtual strings to obtain a combinatorial description of closed curves in the 2-spher…
Virtual knots arise in the study of Gauss diagrams and Vassiliev invariants of usual knots. Virtual braids correspond naturally to virtual knots. We consider the group of virtual braids on n strings VB_n and its Burau representation, in particular we study their homological properties. We prove that the plus-construction of the classifying space of the virtual braid group on the infinite number of strings is an infinite loop space which is equivalent to a product of Q(S^0), S^1 and an infinite loop space Y. Connections with the K-functor of the integers are discussed.
In previous work, the author defined the intersection graph of a chord diagram associated with string links (as in the theory of finite type invariants). In this paper, we classify the trees which can be obtained as intersection graphs of string link diagrams.
We refine the intersection product in homology to an equivariant setting, which unifies several known constructions. As an application, we give a common generalisation of the Chas-Sullivan string product on a manifold and the Chataur-Menichi string product on the classifying space by defining a string product on the Borel construction of a manifold. We prove a vanishing result which enables us to define a secondary product. The secondary product is then used to construct secondary versions of the Chataur-Menichi string product, and the equivariant intersection product in the Borel equivariant …
Given a closed four-manifold with $b_1=0$ and a prime number $p$, we prove that for any mod $p^r$ basic class, the virtual dimension of the Seiberg-Witten moduli space is bounded above by $2r(p-1)-2$ under some conditions on $r$ and $b_2^+$. As an application, we obtain adjunction inequalities for embedded surfaces with negative self-intersection number.
In a previous paper, the authors proved that Milnor link-homotopy invariants modulo $n$ classify classical string links up to $2n$-move and link-homotopy. As analogues to the welded case, in terms of Milnor invariants, we give here two classifications of welded string links up to $2n$-move and self-crossing virtualization, and up to $V^{n}$-move and self-crossing virtualization, respectively.
Let M be a closed Riemannian manifold. We extend the product of Goresky-Hingston, on the cohomology of the free loop space of M relative to the constant loops, to a nonrelative product. It is graded associative and commutative, and compatible with the length filtration on the loop space, like the original product. We prove the following new geometric property of the dual homology coproduct: the nonvanishing of the k-th iterate of the coproduct on a homology class ensures the existence of a loop with a (k+1)-fold self-intersection in every representative of the class. For spheres and projective…