On elementary invariants of genus one knots and Seifert surfaces

This elementary article introduces easy-to-manage invariants of genus one knots in homology 3-spheres. To prove their invariance, we investigate properties of an invariant of 3-dimensional genus two homology handlebodies called the Alexander form. The Alexander form of a 3-manifold E with boundary contains all Reidemeister torsions of link exteriors obtained by attaching two-handles along the boundary of E. It is a useful tool for studying Alexander polynomials and Reidemeister torsions. We extract invariants of genus one Seifert surfaces from the Alexander form of their exteriors.