HOMFLY Research Articles

THE ZEROTH COEFFICIENT HOMFLYPT POLYNOMIAL OF A 2-CABLE KNOT

The zeroth coefficient polynomial is a one variable polynomial contained in the HOMFLYPT polynomial. In this paper, we give a basic computation of the zeroth coefficient polynomial of a 2-cable knot. In particular, we compute the zeroth coefficient polynomials of the 2-cable knots of the Kanenobu knots. It is known that the Kanenobu knots have the same HOMFLYPT polynomial and the same Khovanov–Rozansky homology. As a result, we distinguish the Kanenobu knots completely. Moreover, we estimate the braid indices of the Kanenobu knots.

Introduction to Khovanov Homologies. II. Reduced Jones superpolynomials

A second part of detailed elementary introduction into Khovanov homologies. This part is devoted to reduced Jones superpolynomials. The story is still about a hypercube of resolutions of a link diagram. Each resolution is a collection of non-intersecting cycles, and one associates a 2-dimensional vector space with each cycle. Reduced superpolynomial arises when for all cycles, containing a "marked" edge of the link diagram, the vector space is reduced to 1-dimensional. The rest remains the same. Edges of the hypercube are associated with cut-and-join operators, acting on the cycles. Superpartners of these operators can be combined into differentials of a complex, and superpolynomial is the Poincare polynomial of this complex. HOMFLY polynomials are practically the same in reduced and unreduced case, but superpolynomials are essentially different, already in the simplest examples of trefoil and figure-eight knot.

Colored HOMFLY Polynomials as Multiple Sums over Paths or Standard Young Tableaux

If a knot is represented by an m-strand braid, then HOMFLY polynomial in representation R is a sum over characters in all representations Q\in R^{\otimes m}. Coefficients in this sum are traces of products of quantum R-matrices along the braid, but these matrices act in the space of intertwiners, and their size is equal to the multiplicity M_{RQ} of Q in R^{\otimes m}. If R is the fundamental representation R=[1], then M_{[1] Q} is equal to the number of paths in representation graph, which lead from the fundamental vertex [1] to the vertex Q. In the basis of paths the entries of the m-1 relevant R-matrices are associated with the pairs of paths and are non-vanishing only when the two paths either coincide or differ by at most one vertex; as a corollary R-matrices consist of just 1x1 and 2x2 blocks, given by very simple explicit expressions. If cabling method is used to color the knot with the representation R, then the braid has m|R| strands, Q have a bigger size m|R|, but only paths passing through the vertex R are included into the sums over paths which define the products and traces of the m|R|-1 relevant R-matrices. In the case of SU(N) this path sum formula can also be interpreted as a multiple sum over the standard Young tableaux. By now it provides the most effective way for evaluation of the colored HOMFLY polynomials, conventional or extended, for arbitrary braids.

Special colored superpolynomials and their representation-dependence

We introduce the notion of "special superpolynomials" by putting q=1 in the formulas for reduced superpolynomials. In this way we obtain a generalization of special HOMFLY polynomials depending on one extra parameter t. Special HOMFLY are known to depend on representation R in especially simple way: as |R|-th power of the fundamental ones. We show that the same dependence persists for our special superpolynomials in the case of symmetric representations, at least for the 2-strand torus and figure-eight knots. For antisymmetric representations the same is true, but for t=1 and arbitrary q. It would be interesting to find an interpolation between these two relations for arbitrary representations, but no superpolynomails are yet available in this case.

Racah coefficients and extended HOMFLY polynomials for all 5-, 6- and 7-strand braids

Basing on evaluation of the Racah coefficients for SUq(3) (which supported the earlier conjecture of their universal form) we derive explicit formulas for all the 5-, 6- and 7-strand Wilson averages in the fundamental representation of arbitrary SU(N) group (the HOMFLY polynomials). As an application, we list the answers for all 5-strand knots with 9 crossings. In fact, the 7-strand formulas are sufficient to reproduce all the HOMFLY polynomials from the katlas.org: they are all described at once by a simple explicit formula with a very transparent structure. Moreover, would the formulas for the relevant SUq(3) Racah coefficients remain true for all other quantum groups, the paper provides a complete description of the fundamental HOMFLY polynomials for all braids with any number of strands.

Large N Duality, Lagrangian Cycles, and Algebraic Knots

We consider knot invariants in the context of large $N$ transitions of topological strings. In particular we consider aspects of Lagrangian cycles associated to knots in the conifold geometry. We show how these can be explicity constructed in the case of algebraic knots. We use this explicit construction to explain a recent conjecture relating study of stable pairs on algebraic curves with HOMFLY polynomials. Furthermore, for torus knots, using the explicit construction of the Lagrangian cycle, we also give a direct A-model computation and recover the HOMFLY polynomial for this case.

Challenges of β-deformation

We briefly review problems arising in the study of the beta deformation, which turns out to be the most difficult element in a number of modern problems: the deviation of β from unity is connected with the “exit from the free-fermion point” in two-dimensional conformal theories, from the symmetric graviphoton field with ∈2 = −∈1 in instanton sums in four-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories, with the transition from matrix models to beta ensembles, from HOMFLY polynomials to superpolynomials in the Chern-Simons theory, from quantum groups to elliptic and hyperbolic algebras, and so on. We mainly attend to issues related to the Alday-Gaiotto-Tachikawa correspondence and its possible generalizations.

Effect of Topology on the Conformations of Ring Polymers

The bond fluctuation method is used to simulate both non-concatenated entangled and interpenetrating melts of ring polymers. We find that the swelling of interpenetrating rings upon dilution follows the same laws as for linear chains. Knotting and linking probabilities of ring polymers in semi-dilute solution are analyzed using the HOMFLY polynomial. We find an exponential decay of the knotting probability of rings. The correlation length of the semi-dilute solution can be used to superimpose knotting data at different concentrations. A power law dependence $f_{n}\sim\phi R^{2}\sim\phi^{0.77}N$ for the average number $f_{n}$ of linked rings per ring at concentrations larger than the overlap volume fraction of rings $\phi^{*}$ is determined from the simulation data. The fraction of non-concatenated rings displays an exponential decay $P_{OO}\sim\exp(-f_{n})$, which indicates $f_{n}$ to provide the entropic effort for not forming concatenated conformations. Based upon this results we find four different regimes for the conformations of rings in melts that are separated by a critical lengths $N_{OO}$, $N_{C}$ and $N^{*}$. $N_{OO}$ describes the onset of the effect of non-concatenation below which topological effects are not important, $N_{C}$ is the cross-over between weak and strong compression of rings, and $N^{*}$ is defined by the cross-over from a non-concatenation contribution $f_{n}\sim\phi R^{2}$ to an overlap dominated concatenation contribution $f_{n}\sim\phi N^{1/2}$ at $N>N^{*}$. For $N_{OO}<N<N_{C}$, the scaling of ring sizes $R\sim N^{2/5}$ results from balancing non-concatenation with weak compression of rings. For $N_{C}<N<N^{*}$, non-concatenation and strong compression imply $R\sim N^{3/8}$. Our simulation data for non-interpenetrating rings up to $N=1024$ are in good agreement with the prediction for weakly compressed rings.

THE QUANTUM sl(n, ℂ) REPRESENTATION THEORY AND ITS APPLICATIONS

In this paper, we study the quantum sl(<TEX>$n$</TEX>) representation category using the web space. Specially, we extend sl(<TEX>$n$</TEX>) web space for <TEX>$n{\geq}4$</TEX> as generalized Temperley-Lieb algebras. As an application of our study, we find that the HOMFLY polynomial <TEX>$P_n(q)$</TEX> specialized to a one variable polynomial can be computed by a linear expansion with respect to a presentation of the quantum representation category of sl(<TEX>$n$</TEX>). Moreover, we correct the false conjecture [30] given by Chbili, which addresses the relation between some link polynomials of a periodic link and its factor link such as Alexander polynomial (<TEX>$n=0$</TEX>) and Jones polynomial (<TEX>$n=2$</TEX>) and prove the corrected conjecture not only for HOMFLY polynomial but also for the colored HOMFLY polynomial specialized to a one variable polynomial.

The canonical genus for Whitehead doubles of a family of alternating knots

For any given integer r⩾1 and a quasitoric braid βr=(σr−ϵσr−1ϵ⋯σ1(−1)rϵ)3 with ϵ=±1, we prove that the maximum degree in z of the HOMFLYPT polynomial PW2(βˆr)(v,z) of the doubled link W2(βˆr) of the closure βˆr is equal to 6r−1. As an application, we give a family K3 of alternating knots, including (2,n)-torus knots, 2-bridge knots and alternating pretzel knots as its subfamilies, such that the minimal crossing number of any alternating knot in K3 coincides with the canonical genus of its Whitehead double. Consequently, we give a new family K3 of alternating knots for which Trippʼs conjecture holds.

Torus HOMFLYPT as the Hall–Littlewood polynomials

We show that the HOMFLYPT polynomials for the torus knots T[m, n] in all fundamental representations are equal to the Hall–Littlewood polynomials in a representation which depends on m, and with a quantum parameter, which depends on n. This makes the long-anticipated interpretation of Wilson averages in 3d Chern–Simons theory as characters precise, at least for the torus knots, and calls for further studies in this direction. This fact is deeply related to the Hall–Littlewood–MacDonald duality of character expansion of superpolynomials found in Mironov et al (2012 J. Geom. Phys. 62 148–55). In fact, the relation continues to hold for extended polynomials, but the symmetry between m and n is broken; then m is the number of strands in the braid. Besides the HOMFLYPT case with q = t, the torus superpolynomials are reduced to the single Hall–Littlewood characters in the two other distinguished cases: q = 0 and t = 0.

Generalized normal rulings and invariants of Legendrian solid torus links

For Legendrian links in the 1-jet space of $S^1$ we show that the 1-graded ruling polynomial may be recovered from the Kauffman skein module. For such links a generalization of the notion of normal ruling is introduced. We show that the existence of such a generalized normal ruling is equivalent to sharpness of the Kauffman polynomial estimate for the Thurston-Bennequin number as well as to the existence of an ungraded augmentation of the Chekanov-Eliashberg DGA. Parallel results involving the HOMFLY-PT polynomial and 2-graded generalized normal rulings are established.

CHARACTER EXPANSION FOR HOMFLY POLYNOMIALS III: ALL 3-STRAND BRAIDS IN THE FIRST SYMMETRIC REPRESENTATION

We continue the program of systematic study of extended HOMFLY polynomials, suggested in [A. Mironov, A. Morozov and And. Morozov, arXiv:1112.5754] and [A. Mironov, A. Morozov and And. Morozov, J. High Energy Phys. 03, 034 (2012), arXiv:1112.2654]. Extended polynomials depend on infinitely many time-variables, are close relatives of integrable τ-functions, and depend on the choice of the braid representation of the knot. They possess natural character decompositions, with coefficients which can be defined by exhaustively general formula for any particular number m of strands in the braid and any particular representation R of the Lie algebra GL(∞). Being restricted to "the topological locus" in the space of time-variables, the extended HOMFLY polynomials reproduce the ordinary knot invariants. We derive such a general formula, for m = 3, when the braid is parametrized by a sequence of integers (a1, b1, a2, b2, …) and for the first nonfundamental representation R = [2]. Instead of calculating the mixing matrices directly, as suggested [A. Mironov, A. Morozov and And. Morozov, J. High Energy Phys. 03, 034 (2012), arXiv:1112.2654], we deduce them from comparison with the known answers for torus and composite knots. A simple reflection symmetry converts the answer for the symmetric representation [2] into that for the antisymmetric one [1, 1]. The result applies, in particular, to the figure eight knot 41, and was further extended to superpolynomials in arbitrary symmetric and antisymmetric representations in H. Itoyama, A. Mironov, A. Morozov and And. Morozov, arXiv:1203.5978.

HOMFLY and superpolynomials for figure eight knot in all symmetric and antisymmetric representations

Explicit answer is given for the HOMFLY polynomial of the figure eight knot $4_1$ in arbitrary symmetric representation R=[p]. It generalizes the old answers for p=1 and 2 and the recently derived results for p=3,4, which are fully consistent with the Ooguri-Vafa conjecture. The answer can be considered as a quantization of the \sigma_R = \sigma_{[1]}^{|R|} identity for the "special" polynomials (they define the leading asymptotics of HOMFLY at q=1), and arises in a form, convenient for comparison with the representation of the Jones polynomials as sums of dilogarithm ratios. In particular, we construct a difference equation ("non-commutative A-polynomial") in the representation variable p. Simple symmetry transformation provides also a formula for arbitrary antisymmetric (fundamental) representation R=[1^p], which also passes some obvious checks. Also straightforward is a deformation from HOMFLY to superpolynomials. Further generalizations seem possible to arbitrary Young diagrams R, but these expressions are harder to test because of the lack of alternative results, even partial.

Milnor invariants and the HOMFLYPT Polynomial

We give formulas expressing Milnor invariants of an n-component link L in the 3-sphere in terms of the HOMFLYPT polynomial as follows. If the Milnor invariant \bar{\mu}_J(L) vanishes for any sequence J with length at most k, then any Milnor \bar{\mu}-invariant \bar{\mu}_I(L) with length between 3 and 2k+1 can be represented as a combination of HOMFLYPT polynomial of knots obtained from the link by certain band sum operations. In particular, the `first non vanishing' Milnor invariants can be always represented as such a linear combination.

The Hilbert scheme of a plane curve singularity and the HOMFLY polynomial of its link

The intersection of a complex plane curve with a small three-sphere surrounding one of its singularities is a nontrivial link. The refined punctual Hilbert schemes of the singularity parameterize subschemes supported at the singular point of fixed length and whose defining ideals have a fixed number of generators. We conjecture that the generating function of Euler characteristics of refined punctual Hilbert schemes is the HOMFLY polynomial of the link. The conjecture is verified for irreducible singularities yk=xn whose links are the (k,n) torus knots, and for the singularity y4=x7−x6+4x5y+2x3y2 whose link is the (2,13) cable of the trefoil.

Torus Knots and Mirror Symmetry

We propose a spectral curve describing torus knots and links in the B-model. In particular, the application of the topological recursion to this curve generates all their colored HOMFLY invariants. The curve is obtained by exploiting the full Sl(2, Z) symmetry of the spectral curve of the resolved conifold, and should be regarded as the mirror of the topological D-brane associated to torus knots in the large N Gopakumar-Vafa duality. Moreover, we derive the curve as the large N limit of the matrix model computing torus knot invariants.

Character expansion for HOMFLY polynomials. II. Fundamental representation. Up to five strands in braid

Character expansion is introduced and explicitly constructed for the (non-colored) HOMFLY polynomials of the simplest knots. Expansion coefficients are not the knot invariants and can depend on the choice of the braid realization. However, the method provides the simplest systematic way to construct HOMFLY polynomials directly in terms of the variable A=q^N: a much better way than the standard approach making use of the skein relations. Moreover, representation theory of the simplest quantum group SU_q(2) is sufficient to get the answers for all braids with m<5 strands. Most important we reveal a hidden hierarchical structure of expansion coefficients, what allows one to express all of them through extremely simple elementary constituents. Generalizations to arbitrary knots and arbitrary representations is straightforward.

A STATE-SUM FORMULA FOR THE ALEXANDER POLYNOMIAL

We develop a diagrammatic formalism for calculating the Alexander polynomial of the closure of a braid as a state-sum. Our main tools are the Markov trace formulas for the HOMFLY-PT polynomial and Young's semi-normal representations of the Iwahori–Hecke algebras of type A.

Sutured Floer homology and hypergraphs

By applying Seifert's algorithm to a special alternating diagram of a link L, one obtains a Seifert surface F of L. We show that the support of the sutured Floer homology of the sutured manifold complementary to F is affine isomorphic to the set of lattice points given as hypertrees in a certain hypergraph that is naturally associated to the diagram. This implies that the Floer groups in question are supported in a set of Spin^c structures that are the integer lattice points of a convex polytope. This property has an immediate extension to Seifert surfaces arising from homogeneous link diagrams (including all alternating and positive diagrams). In another direction, together with work in progress of the second author and others, our correspondence suggests a method for computing the "top" coefficients of the HOMFLY polynomial of a special alternating link from the sutured Floer homology of a Seifert surface complement for a certain dual link.