Maximal Bennequin numbers and Kauffman polynomials of positive links

By using results of Yamada and of Yokota, concerning link diagrams and link polynomials, we give some relationships between maximal Bennequin numbers and Kauffman polynomials of positive links.

     

An Ozsváth–Szabó Floer homology invariant of knots in a contact manifold

Using the knot Floer homology filtration, we define invariants associated to a knot in a three-manifold possessing non-vanishing Floer co(homology) classes. In the case of the Ozsváth–Szabó contact invariant we obtain an invariant of knots in a contact three-manifold. This invariant provides an upper bound for the Thurston–Bennequin plus rotation number of any Legendrian realization of the knot. We use it to demonstrate the first systematic construction of prime knots in contact manifolds other than S³ with negative maximal Thurston–Bennequin invariant. Perhaps more interesting, our invariant provides a criterion for an open book to induce a tight contact structure. A corollary is that if a manifold possesses contact structures with distinct non-vanishing Ozsváth–Szabó invariants, then any fibered knot can realize the classical Eliashberg–Bennequin bound in at most one of these contact structures.     

An invariant of links in the thickened torus

An invariant of links with two and more components in the thickened torus is constructed; the invariant depends on several variables. The construction uses Kauffman’s formal theory, which is based on Dehn’s representation of knot groups. This invariant is a natural generalization of a polynomial z constructed by Zenkina and Manturov. Some properties of the new invariant are also considered.     

On unknotting numbers and four-dimensional clasp numbers of links

In this paper, we estimate the unknotting number and the four-dimensional clasp number of a link, considering the greatest euler characteristic for an oriented two-manifold in the four-ball bounded by the link. Combining with a result due to Rudolph, we prove that an inequality stronger than the Bennequin unknotting inequality actually holds for any link diagram. As an application we show the equality conjectured by Boileau and Weber for a closed positive braid diagram.

     

Computing the Thurston–Bennequin invariant in open books

We give explicit formulas and algorithms for the computation of the Thurston–Bennequin invariant of a nullhomologous Legendrian knot on a page of a contact open book and on Heegaard surfaces in convex position. Furthermore, we extend the results to rationally nullhomologous knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds.     

The Miyazawa polynomial for long virtual knots

We introduce a two-variable polynomial invariant of a long virtual knot, which dominates the Kauffman f-polynomial and the Miyazawa polynomial of the closure. Our invariant satisfies a product formula for the concatenation product of long virtual knots. It describes a formula of the Miyazawa polynomial of a ‘connected sum’ of two virtual knots. It also gives lower bounds for the real crossing number and the virtual crossing number of a long virtual knot.     

A finite set of generators for the Kauffman bracket skein algebra

If F is a compact orientable surface it is known that the Kauffman bracket skein module of has a multiplicative structure. Our central result is the construction of a finite set of knots which generate the module as an algebra. We can then define an integer valued invariant of compact orientable 3-manifolds which characterizes . Received November 27, 1995; in final form September 29, 1997     

On the Bennequin Invariant and the Geometry of Wave Fronts

The theory of Arnold's invariants of plane curves and wave fronts is applied to the study of the geometry of wave fronts in the standard 2-sphere, in the Euclidean plane and in the hyperbolic plane. Some enumerative formulae similar to the Plücker formulae in algebraic geometry are given in order to compute the generalized Bennequin invariant J ⁺ in terms of the geometry of the front. It is shown that in fact every coefficient of the polynomial invariant of Aicardi can be computed in this way. In the case of affine wave fronts, some formulae previously announced by S.L. Tabachnikov are proved. This geometric point of view leads to a generalization to generic wave fronts of a result shown by Viro for smooth plane curves. As another application, the Fabricius-Bjerre and Weiner formulae for smooth plane and spherical curves are generalized to wave fronts.     

加厚环面中标架环链的约化多项式

研究加厚环面中的标架环链.给出标架环链在Kauffman尖括号拆接代数中的表达式.利用Gro\"{o}bner基理论,我们从上述表达式中得到标架环链的约化多项式,该多项式是标架环链的同痕不变量且可计算.     

First Order Semi-Local Invariants of Stable Maps of 3-Manifolds into the Plane

In the late 1980s, Vassiliev introduced new graded numericalinvariants of knots, which are now called Vassiliev invariantsor finite-type invariants. Since he made this definition, manypeople have been trying to construct Vassiliev type invariantsfor various mapping spaces. In the early 1990s, Arnold and Goryunovintroduced the notion of first order (local) invariants of stablemaps. In this paper, we define and study first order semi-localinvariants of stable maps and those of stable fold maps of aclosed orientable 3-dimensional manifold into the plane. Weshow that there are essentially eight first order semi-localinvariants. For a stable map, one of them is a constant invariant,six of them count the number of singular fibers of a given typewhich appear discretely (there are exactly six types of suchsingular fibers), and the last one is the Euler characteristicof the Stein factorization of this stable map. Besides theseinvariants, for stable fold maps, the Bennequin invariant ofthe singular value set corresponding to definite fold pointsis also a first order semi-local invariant. Our study of unstablefold maps with codimension 1 provides invariants for the connectedcomponents of the set of all fold maps. 2000 Mathematics SubjectClassification 57R45 (primary), 32S20, 58K15 (secondary).     

Strongly regular graphs and spin models for the Kauffman polynomial

We study spin models for invariants of links as defined by Jones [22]. We consider the two algebras generated by the weight matrices of such models under ordinary or Hadamard product and establish an isomorphism between them. When these algebras coincide they form the Bose-Mesner algebra of a formally self-dual association scheme. We study the special case of strongly regular graphs, which is associated to a particularly interesting link invariant, the Kauffman polynomial [27]. This leads to a classification of spin models for the Kauffman polynomial in terms of formally self-dual strongly regular graphs with strongly regular subconstituents [7]. In particular we obtain a new model based on the Higman-Sims graph [17].     

Local Poincaré inequalities in non-negative curvature and finite dimension

In this paper, we derive a new set of Poincaré inequalities on the sphere, with respect to some Markov kernels parameterized by a point in the ball. When this point goes to the boundary, those Poincaré inequalities are shown to give the curvature-dimension inequality of the sphere, and when it is at the center they reduce to the usual Poincaré inequality. We then extend them to Riemannian manifolds, giving a sequence of inequalities which are equivalent to the curvature-dimension inequality, and interpolate between this inequality and the Poincaré inequality for the invariant measure. This inequality is optimal in the case of the spheres.     

On a simple invariant of Turaev-Viro type

For 3-manifolds, we define an invariant t(M)=a+bε, where a,b are integers and . An advantage of the invariant is that it admits a very simple interpretation in terms of a fake surface and a simple geometric proof of the invariance. Actually, it coincides with the homologically trivial part of the Turaev-Viro invariant of degree r=5. Extensive tables for all closed irreducible orientable 3-manifolds of complexity less than or equal to six are explicitly presented. Similar tables for r=3,4 were composed by L. H. Kauffman and S. Lins. Bibliography: 8 titles. Published inZapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 234, 1996, pp. 137–142.     

The Yang-Mills measure in the Kauffman bracket skein module

For each closed, orientable surface , we construct a local, diffeomorphism invariant trace on the Kauffman bracket skein module . The trace is defined when |t| is neither 0 nor 1, and at certain roots of unity. At t = − 1, the trace is integration against the symplectic measure on the SU(2) character variety of the fundamental group of . Received: June 2, 2000     

Interpolating inequalities related to a recent result of Audenaert

Audenaert recently obtained an inequality for unitarily invariant norms that interpolates between the arithmetic–geometric mean inequality and the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality for matrices. A refined version of Audenaert’s inequality for the Hilbert–Schmidt norm is given. Other interpolating inequalities for unitarily invariant norms are also presented.     

On the distribution of points in projective space of bounded height

In this paper we consider the uniform distribution of points in compact metric spaces. We assume that there exists a probability measure on the Borel subsets of the space which is invariant under a suitable group of isometries. In this setting we prove the analogue of Weyl's criterion and the Erdös-Turán inequality by using orthogonal polynomials associated with the space and the measure. In particular, we discuss the special case of projective space over completions of number fields in some detail. An invariant measure in these projective spaces is introduced, and the explicit formulas for the orthogonal polynomials in this case are given. Finally, using the analogous Erdös-Turán inequality, we prove that the set of all projective points over the number field with bounded Arakelov height is uniformly distributed with respect to the invariant measure as the bound increases.

     

Computations of the orbifold Yamabe invariant

We consider the Yamabe invariant of a compact orbifold with finitely many singular points. We prove a fundamental inequality for the estimate of the invariant from above, which also includes a criterion for the non-positivity of it. Moreover, we give a sufficient condition for the equality in the inequality. In order to prove it, we also solve the orbifold Yamabe problem under a certain condition. We use these results to give some exact computations of the Yamabe invariant of compact orbifolds.     

Lévy-Gromov's isoperimetric inequality for an infinite dimensional diffusion generator

We establish, by simple semigroup arguments, a Lévy-Gromov isoperimetric inequality for the invariant measure of an infinite dimensional diffusion generator of positive curvature with isoperimetric model the Gaussian measure. This produces in particular a new proof of the Gaussian, isoperimetric inequality. This isoperimetric inequality strengthens the classical logarithmic Sobolev inequality in this context. A local version for the heat kernel measures is also proved, which may then be extended into an isoperimetric inequality for the Wiener measure on the paths of a Riemannian manifold with bounded Ricci curvature.Oblatum 19-VI-1995     

Lévy–Gromov’s isoperimetric inequality for an infinite dimensional diffusion generator

 We establish, by simple semigroup arguments, a Lévy–Gromov isoperimetric inequality for the invariant measure of an infinite dimensional diffusion generator of positive curvature with isoperimetric model the Gaussian measure. This produces in particular a new proof of the Gaussian isoperimetric inequality. This isoperimetric inequality strengthens the classical logarithmic Sobolev inequality in this context. A local version for the heat kernel measures is also proved, which may then be extended into an isoperimetric inequality for the Wiener measure on the paths of a Riemannian manifold with bounded Ricci curvature. Oblatum 19-VI-1995     

The Rasmussen invariants and the sharper slice-Bennequin inequality on knots

Rasmussen introduced a knot invariant based on Khovanov homology theory, and showed that this invariant estimates the four-genus of knots. We compare his result with the sharper slice-Bennequin inequality for knots. Then we obtain a similar estimate of the Rasmussen invariant for this inequality.