We give a new definition of the knot invariant associated to the Lie algebra su_{N+1}. The knot or link must be presented as the plat closure of a braid. The invariant is then a homological intersection pairing between two submanifolds of a configuration space of points in a disk. This generalizes previous work on the Jones polynomial, which is the case N=1.
It is known that knot homologies admit a physical description as spaces of open BPS states. We study operators and algebras acting on these spaces. This leads to a very rich story, which involves wall crossing phenomena, algebras of closed BPS states acting on spaces of open BPS states, and deformations of Landau-Ginzburg models. One important application to knot homologies is the existence of "colored differentials" that relate homological invariants of knots colored by different representations. Based on this structure, we formulate a list of properties of the colored HOMFLY homology that ca…
We first study superpolynomial associated to triply-graded reduced colored HOMFLY-PT homology. We propose conjectures of congruent relations and cyclotomic expansion for it. We prove conjecture of $N=1$ for torus knot case, through which we obtain the corresponding invariant $α(T(m,n))=-(m-1)(n-1)/2$. This is closely related to the Milnor conjecture. Many examples including homologically thick knots and higher representations are also tested. Based on these examples, we further propose a conjecture that invariant $α$ determined in cyclotomic expansion at $N=1$ is a lower bound for smooth 4-bal…
We work in the reduced SU(N,K) modular category as constructed recently by Blanchet. We define spin type and cohomological refinements of the Turaev-Viro invariants of closed oriented 3-manifolds and give a formula relating them to Blanchet's invariants. Roberts' definition of the Turaev-Viro state sum is exploited. Furthermore, we construct refined Turaev-Viro and Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFT's and study the relationship between them.
We give a new definition of the Jones polynomial. Let L be an oriented knot or link obtained as the plat closure of a braid beta in B_{2n}. We define a covering space tilde{C} of the space of unordered n-tuples of distinct points in the 2n-punctured disk. We then describe two n-manifolds tilde{S} and tilde{T} in tilde{C}, and show that the Jones polynomial of L can be defined as an intersection pairing between tilde{S} and beta tilde{T}. Our construction is similar to one given by Lawrence, but more concrete.
Following the suggestion of arXiv:1407.6319 to lift the knot polynomials for virtual knots and links from Jones to HOMFLY, we apply the evolution method to calculate them for an infinite series of twist-like virtual knots and antiparallel 2-strand links. Within this family one can check topological invariance and understand how differential hierarchy is modified in virtual case. This opens a way towards a definition of colored (not only cabled) knot polynomials, though problems still persist beyond the first symmetric representation.
The definition of the Jones polynomial in the 80's gave rise to a large family of so-called quantum link invariants, based on quantum groups. These quantum invariants are all controlled by the same two-variable invariant (the HOMFLY-PT polynomial), which also specializes to the older Alexander polynomial. Building upon quantum Schur--Weyl duality and variants of this phenomenon, I will explain an algebraic setup that allows for global definitions of these quantum polynomials, and discuss extensions of these quantum objects designed to encompass all of the mentioned invariants, including the HO…
We explain how to compute the Jones polynomial of a link from one of its grid diagrams and we observe a connection between Bigelow's homological definition of the Jones polynomial and Kauffman's definition of the Jones polynomial. Consequently, we prove that the Maslov grading on the Seidel-Smith symplectic link invariant coincides with the difference between the homological grading on Khovanov homology and the Jones grading on Khovanov homology. We give some evidence for the truth of the Seidel-Smith conjecture.
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.
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.
If the twist numbers of a collection of oriented alternating link diagrams are bounded, then the Alexander polynomials of the corresponding links have bounded euclidean Mahler measure (see Definition 1.2). The converse assertion does not hold. Similarly, if a collection of oriented link diagrams, not necessarily alternating, have bounded twist numbers, then both the Jones polynomials and a parametrization of the 2-variable Homflypt polynomials of the corresponding links have bounded Mahler measure.
We derive an inductive, combinatorial definition of a polynomial-valued regular isotopy invariant of links and tangled graphs. We show that the invariant equals the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant corresponding to the exceptional simple Lie algebra G_2. It is therefore related to G_2 in the same way that the HOMFLY polynomial is related to A_n and the Kauffman polynomial is related to B_n, C_n, and D_n. We give parallel constructions for the other rank 2 Lie algebras and present some combinatorial conjectures motivated by the new inductive definitions.
In this paper we study the relation between two diagrammatic representations of links in lens spaces: the disk diagram and the grid diagram and we find how to pass from one to the other. We also investigate whether the HOMFLY-PT invariant and the Link Floer Homology are essential invariants, that is, we try to understand if these invariants are able to distinguish links in $L(p,q)$ covered by the same link in $\mathbf{S}^3$. In order to do so, we generalize the combinatorial definition of Knot Floer Homology in lens spaces to the case of links and we analyze how both the invariants change when…
We re-build the quantum sl2 unified invariant of knots $F_{\infty}$ from braid groups' action on tensors of Verma modules. It is a two variables series having the particularity of interpolating both families of colored Jones polynomials and ADO polynomials, i.e. semi-simple and non semi-simple invariants of knots constructed from quantum sl2. We prove this last fact in our context which re-proves (a generalization of) the famous Melvin-Morton-Rozansky conjecture first proved by Bar-Natan and Garoufalidis. We find a symmetry of $F_{\infty}$ nicely generalizing the well known one of the Alexande…
Knot matrix models are defined so that the averages of characters are equal to knot polynomials. From this definition one can extract single trace averages and generation functions for them in the group rank - which generalize the celebrated Harer-Zagier formulas for Hermitian matrix model. We describe the outcome of this program for HOMFLY-PT polynomials of various knots. In particular, we claim that the Harer-Zagier formulas for torus knots factorize nicely, but this does not happen for other knots. This fact is mysteriously parallel to existence of explicit beta = 1 eigenvalue model constru…
For every knot $K$ and lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$, there is a Gukov-Manolescu series denoted $F^{\mathfrak{g}}_K$ which serves as an analytic continuation of the quantum knot invariants associated to finite dimensional irreducible representations of $\mathfrak{g}$. There has been a great deal of work done on computing this invariant for $\mathfrak{g} = \mathfrak{sl}_2$ but comparatively less work has studied other lie algebras. In this paper we extend the large colour $R$ matrix from $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ to symmetrically coloured $\mathfrak{sl}_N$. This gives a definition for $F^{\mathfrak{sl}_N,…
We study $q$-series-valued invariants of 3-manifolds that depend on the choice of a root system $G$. This is a natural generalization of the earlier works by Gukov-Pei-Putrov-Vafa [arXiv:1701.06567] and Gukov-Manolescu [arXiv:1904.06057] where they focused on $G={\rm SU}(2)$ case. Although a full mathematical definition for these ''invariants'' is lacking yet, we define $\hat{Z}^G$ for negative definite plumbed 3-manifolds and $F_K^G$ for torus knot complements. As in the $G={\rm SU}(2)$ case by Gukov and Manolescu, there is a surgery formula relating $F_K^G$ to $\hat{Z}^G$ of a Dehn surgery o…
A categorification of a polynomial link invariant is an homological invariant which contains the polynomial one as its graded Euler characteristic. This field has been initiated by Khovanov categorification of the Jones polynomial. Later, P. Ozsvath and Z. Szabo gave a categorification of Alexander polynomial. Besides their increased abilities for distinguishing knots, this new invariants seem to carry many geometrical informations. On the other hand, Vassiliev works gives another way to study link invariant, by generalizing them to singular links i.e. links with a finite number of rigid trans…
The Morse-Novikov number MN(L) of a smooth link L in the three-dimensional sphere is by definition the minimal possible number of critical points of a regular circle-valued Morse function on the link complement (the term regular means that the Morse function must have nice behaviour in a tubular neighbourhood of L). Novikov homology provides lower bounds for MN(L). In the present paper we introduce the notion of twisted Novikov homology, which allows to obtain better lower bounds for MN(L) than the usual Novikov homology. Our twisted Novikov homology is a module over the Novikov ring Z((t)) bu…
In this paper, we show an isomorphism of homological knot invariants categorifying the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants for $\mathfrak{sl}_n$. Over the past decade, such invariants have been constructed in a variety of different ways, using matrix factorizations, category $\mathcal{O}$, affine Grassmannians, and diagrammatic categorifications of tensor products. While the definitions of these theories are quite different, there is a key commonality between them which makes it possible to prove that they are all isomorphic: they arise from a skew Howe dual action of $\mathfrak{gl}_\ell$ for some $…