Conway's potential function via the Gassner representation
Abstract
We show how Conway's multivariable potential function can be constructed using braids and the reduced Gassner representation. The resulting formula is a multivariable generalization of a construction, due to Kassel-Turaev, of the Alexander-Conway polynomial in terms of the Burau representation. Apart from providing an efficient method of computing the potential function, our result also removes the sign ambiguity in the current formulas which relate the multivariable Alexander polynomial to the reduced Gassner representation. We also relate the distinct definitions of this representation which have appeared in the literature.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1709.03479,
title = {Conway's potential function via the Gassner representation},
author = {Anthony Conway and Solenn Estier},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.03479},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
21 pages, 11 figures, v.2: Remark 1.2 (which further discusses Theorem 1.1) as well as an appendix (which gives an alternative proof of Theorem 1.1) have been added, to appear in The Asian Journal of Mathematics