We define a two-variable polynomial invariant of finite quandles. In many cases this invariant completely determines the algebraic structure of the quandle up to isomorphism. We use this polynomial to define a family of link invariants which generalize the quandle counting invariant.
We define a family of generalizations of the two-variable quandle polynomial. These polynomial invariants generalize in a natural way to eight-variable polynomial invariants of finite biquandles. We use these polynomials to define a family of link invariants which further generalize the quandle counting invariant.
This paper is a brief overview of some of our recent results in collaboration with other authors. The cocycle invariants of classical knots and knotted surfaces are summarized, and some applications are presented.
Defined by Joyce and Matveev, the fundamental quandle is a complete invariant of oriented classical knots. We consider invariants of knots defined from quotients of the fundamental quandle. In particular, we introduce the fundamental Latin Alexander quandle of a knot and consider its Gröbner basis-valued invariants, which generalize the Alexander polynomial. We show via example that the invariant is not determined by the generalized Alexander polynomial for virtual knots.
We enhance the quandle coloring quiver invariant of oriented knots and links with quandle modules. This results in a two-variable polynomial invariant with specializes to the previous quandle module polynomial invariant as well as to the quandle counting invariant. We provide example computations to show that the enhancement is proper in the sense that it distinguishes knots and links with the same quandle module polynomial.
Quandle colorings and cocycle invariants are studied for composite knots, and applied to chirality and abelian extensions. The square and granny knots, for example, can be distinguished by quandle colorings, so that a trefoil and its mirror can be distinguished by quandle invariants of composite knots. We investigate this and related phenomena. Quandle cocycle invariants are studied in relation to the connected sum, and formulas are given for computing the cocycle invariant from the number of colorings of composite knots. Relations to corresponding abelian extensions of quandles are studied, a…
Biquandles are generalizations of quandles. As well as quandles, biquandles give us many invariants for oriented classical/virtual/surface links. Some invariants derived from biquandles are known to be stronger than those from quandles for virtual links. However, we have not found an essentially refined invariant for classical/surface links so far. In this paper, we give an explicit one-to-one correspondence between biquandle colorings and quandle colorings for classical/surface links. We also show that biquandle homotopy invariants and quandle homotopy invariants are equivalent. As a byproduc…
Three new knot invariants are defined using cocycles of the generalized quandle homology theory that was proposed by Andruskiewitsch and Graña. We specialize that theory to the case when there is a group action on the coefficients. First, quandle modules are used to generalize Burau representations and Alexander modules for classical knots. Second, 2-cocycles valued in non-abelian groups are used in a way similar to Hopf algebra invariants of classical knots. These invariants are shown to be of quantum type. Third, cocycles with group actions on coefficient groups are used to define quandle co…
The state-sum invariants for knots and knotted surfaces defined from quandle cocycles are described using the Kronecker product between cycles represented by colored knot diagrams and a cocycle of a finite quandle used to color the diagram. Such an interpretation is applied to evaluating the invariants. Algebraic interpretations of quandle cocycles as deformations of extensions are also given. The proofs rely on colored knot diagrams.
We introduce two notions of quandle polynomials for G-families of quandles: the quandle polynomial of the associated quandle and a G-family polynomial with coefficients in the group ring of G. As an application we define image subquandle polynomial enhancements of the G-family counting invariant for trivalent spatial graphs and handlebody-links. We provide examples to show that the new enhancements are proper.
The quandle homology theory is generalized to the case when the coefficient groups admit the structure of Alexander quandles, by including an action of the infinite cyclic group in the boundary operator. Theories of Alexander extensions of quandles in relation to low dimensional cocycles are developed in parallel to group extension theories for group cocycles. Explicit formulas for cocycles corresponding to extensions are given, and used to prove non-triviality of cohomology groups for some quandles. The corresponding generalization of the quandle cocycle knot invariants is given, by using the…
Quandle homology theory has been developed and cocycles have been used to define invariants of oriented classical or surface links. We introduce a shifting chain map $σ$ on each quandle chain complex that lowers the dimensions by one. By using its pull-back $σ^\#$, each $2$-cocycle $ϕ$ gives us the $3$-cocycle $σ^\# ϕ$. For oriented classical links in the $3$-space, we explore relation between their quandle $2$-cocycle invariants associated with $ϕ$ and their shadow $3$-cocycle invariants associated with $σ^\# ϕ$. For oriented surface links in the $4$-space, we explore how powerful their quand…
Quandle coloring quivers are directed graph-valued invariants of oriented knots and links, defined using a choice of finite quandle $X$ and set $S\subset\mathrm{Hom}(X,X)$ of endomorphisms. From a quandle coloring quiver, a polynomial knot invariant known as the \textit{in-degree quiver polynomial} is defined. We consider quandle coloring quiver invariants for oriented surface-links, represented by marked graph diagrams. We provide example computations for all oriented surface-links with ch-index up to 10 for choices of quandles and endomorphisms.
The theory of quandle (co)homology and cocycle knot invariants is rapidly being developed. We begin with a summary of these recent advances. One such advance is the notion of a dynamical cocycle. We show how dynamical cocycles can be used to color knotted surfaces that are obtained from classical knots by twist-spinning. We also demonstrate relations between cocycle invariants and Alexander matrices.
We study rack polynomials and the link invariants they define. We show that constant action racks are classified by their generalized rack polynomials and show that $ns^at^a$-quandles are not classified by their generalized quandle polynomials. We use subrack polynomials to define enhanced rack counting invariants, generalizing the quandle polynomial invariants.
The 2-twist spun trefoil is an example of a sphere that is knotted in 4-dimensional space. Here this example is shown to be distinct from the same sphere with the reversed orientation. To demonstrate this fact a state-sum invariant for classical knots and knotted surfaces is developed via a cohomology theory of racks and quandles (also known as distributive groupoids). A quandle is a set with a binary operation --- the axioms of which model the Reidemeister moves in the classical theory of knotted and linked curves in 3-space. Colorings of diagrams of knotted curves and surfaces by quandle ele…
A homology theory is developed for set-theoretic Yang-Baxter equations, and knot invariants are constructed by generalized colorings by biquandles and Yang-Baxter cocycles.
Carter, Jelsovsky, Kamada, Langford and Saito have defined an invariant of classical links associated to each element of the second cohomology of a finite quandle. We study these invariants for Alexander quandles of the form Z[t,t^{-1}]/(p, t^2 + kappa t + 1), where p is a prime number and t^2 + kappa t + 1 is irreducible modulo p. For each such quandle, there is an invariant with values in the group ring Z[C_p] of a cyclic group of order p. We shall show that the values of this invariant all have the form Gamma_p^r p^{2s} for a fixed element Gamma_p of Z[C_p] and integers r >= 0 and s > 0. We…
If $A$ is an abelian quandle and $Q$ is a quandle, the hom set $\mathrm{Hom}(Q,A)$ of quandle homomorphisms from $Q$ to $A$ has a natural quandle structure. We exploit this fact to enhance the quandle counting invariant, providing an example of links with the same counting invariant values but distinguished by the hom quandle structure. We generalize the result to the case of biquandles, collect observations and results about abelian quandles and the hom quandle, and show that the category of abelian quandles is symmetric monoidal closed.
We give necessary conditions of a surface-knot to be ribbon concordant to another, by introducing a new variant of the cocycle invariant of surface-knots in addition to using the invariant already known. We demonstrate that twist-spins of some torus knots are not ribbon concordant to their orientation reversed images.
We consider a quiver structure on the set of quandle colorings of an oriented knot or link diagram. This structure contains a wealth of knot and link invariants and provides a categorification of the quandle counting invariant in the most literal sense, i.e., giving the set of quandle colorings the structure of a small category which is unchanged by Reidemeister moves. We derive some new enhancements of the counting invariant from this quiver structure and show that the enhancements are proper with explicit examples.
In CJKLS quandle cohomology is used to produce invariants for particular embeddings of codimension two; 2-cocycles give to invariants for (classical) knots and 3-cocycles give rise to invariants for knotted surfaces. This is done by way of a notion of coloring of a diagram. Also, these invariants have the form of state-sums (or partition functions) used in Statistical Mechanics. By a careful analysis of these colorings of diagrams we are able to come up with new invariants which correspond to calculation of the partition function at finite temperatures.
We investigate some algebraic structures called quasi-trivial quandles and we use them to study link-homotopy of pretzel links. Precisely, a necessary and sufficient condition for a pretzel link with at least two components being trivial under link-homotopy is given. We also generalize the quasi-trivial quandle idea to the case of biquandles and consider enhancement of the quasi-trivial biquandle cocycle counting invariant by quasi-trivial biquandle cocycles, obtaining invariants of link-homotopy type of links analogous to the quasi-trivial quandle cocycle invariants in Ayumu Inoue's article a…
We define enhancements of the quandle counting invariant for knots and links with a finite labeling quandle Q embedded in the quandle of units of a Lie algebra \mathfrak{a} using Lie ideals. We provide examples demonstrating that the enhancement is stronger than the associated unenhanced counting invariant.
We define ambient isotopy invariants of oriented knots and links using the counting invariants of framed links defined by finite racks. These invariants reduce to the usual quandle counting invariant when the rack in question is a quandle. We are able to further enhance these counting invariants with 2-cocycles from the coloring rack's second rack cohomology satisfying a new degeneracy condition which reduces to the usual case for quandles.
We study the structure of symplectic quandles, quandles which are also R-modules equipped with an antisymmetric bilinear form. We show that every finite dimensional symplectic quandle over a finite field F or arbitrary field F of characteristic other than 2 is a disjoint union of a trivial quandle and a connected quandle. We use the module structure of a symplectic quandle over a finite ring to refine and strengthen the quandle counting invariant.
R. Kashaev and N. Reshetikhin introduced the notion of holonomy braiding extending V. Turaev's homotopy braiding to describe the behavior of cyclic representations of the unrestricted quantum group $U_qsl_2$ at root of unity. In this paper, using quandles and biquandles we develop a general theory for Reshetikhin-Turaev ribbon type functor for tangles with quandle representations. This theory applies to the unrestricted quantum group $U_qsl_2$ and produces an invariant of links with a gauge class of quandle representations.
The aim of this paper is to define certain algebraic structures coming from generalized Reidemeister moves of singular knot theory. We give examples, show that the set of colorings by these algebraic structures is an invariant of singular links. As an application we distinguish several singular knots and links.
A birack is an algebraic structure with axioms encoding the blackboard-framed Reidemeister moves, incorporating quandles, racks, strong biquandles and semiquandles as special cases. In this paper we extend the counting invariant for finite racks to the case of finite biracks. We introduce a family of biracks generalizing Alexander quandles, $(t,s)$-racks, Alexander biquandles and Silver-Williams switches, known as $(τ,σ,ρ)$-biracks. We consider enhancements of the counting invariant using writhe vectors, image subbiracks, and birack polynomials.
We enhance the psyquandle counting invariant for singular knots and pseudoknots using quivers analogously to quandle coloring quivers. This enables us to extend the in-degree polynomial invariants from quandle coloring quiver theory to the case of singular knots and pseudoknots. As a side effect we obtain biquandle coloring quivers and in-degree polynomial invariants for classical and virtual knots and links.
We define an invariant of tangles and framed tangles given a finite crossed module and a pair of functions, called a Reidemeister pair, satisfying natural properties. We give several examples of Reidemeister pairs derived from racks, quandles, rack and quandle cocycles, 2-crossed modules and braided crossed modules. We prove that our construction includes all rack and quandle cohomology (framed) link invariants, as well as the Eisermann invariant of knots, for which we also find a lifting by using braided crossed modules.
We define invariants of unoriented knots and links by enhancing the integral kei counting invariant Phi_X^Z (K) for a finite kei X using representations of the kei algebra, Z_K[X], a quotient of the quandle algebra Z[X] defined by Andruskiewitsch and Grana. We give an example that demonstrates that the enhanced invariant is stronger than the unenhanced kei counting invariant. As an application, we use a quandle module over the Takasaki kei on Z_3 which is not a Z_K[X]-module to detect the non-invertibility of a virtual knot.
We introduce a six-variable polynomial invariant of Niebrzydowski tribrackets analogous to quandle,rack and biquandle polynomials. Using the subtribrackets of a tribracket, we additionally define subtribracket polynomials and establish a sufficient condition for isomorphic subtribrackets to have the same polynomial regardless of their embedding in the ambient tribracket. As an application, we enhance the tribracket counting invariant of knots and links using subtribracket polynomials and provide examples to demonstrate that this enhancement is proper.
We generalize the notion of the quandle polynomial to the case of singquandles. We show that the singquandle polynomial is an invariant of finite singquandles. We also construct a singular link invariant from the singquandle polynomial and show that this new singular link invariant generalizes the singquandle counting invariant. In particular, using the new polynomial invariant, we can distinguish singular links with the same singquandle counting invariant.
This paper is motivated by a general question: for which values of k and n is the universal Burnside kei of k generators and Kei "exponent" n, $\bar Q(k,n)$, finite? It is known (starting from the work of M. Takasaki (1942)) that $\bar Q(2,n)$ is isomorphic to the dihedral quandle Z_n and $\bar Q(3,3)$ is isomorphic to Z_3 + Z_3. In this paper we give descriptions of $\bar Q(4,3)$ and $\bar Q(3,4)$. We also investigate some properties of arbitrary quandles satisfying the universal Burnside relation (of "exponent" n) a=...a*b*...*a*b. In particular, we prove that the order of a finite commutati…
We introduce shadow structures for singular knot theory. Precisely, we define \emph{two} invariants of singular knots and links. First, we introduce a notion of action of a singquandle on a set to define a shadow counting invariant of singular links which generalize the classical shadow colorings of knots by quandles. We then define a shadow polynomial invariant for shadow structures. Lastly, we enhance the shadow counting invariant by combining both the shadow counting invariant and the shadow polynomial invariant. Explicit examples of computations are given.
We extend the quandle cocycle invariant to the context of stuck links. More precisely, we define an invariant of stuck links by assigning Boltzmann weights at both classical and stuck crossings. As an application, we define a single-variable and a two-variable polynomial invariant of stuck links. Furthermore, we define a single-variable and two-variable polynomial invariant of arc diagrams of RNA foldings. We provide explicit computations of the new invariants.