Related papers: Shadows, ribbon surfaces, and quantum invariants

We extend the definition of the colored Jones polynomials to framed links and trivalent graphs in S^3 # k S^2 X S^1 using a state-sum formulation based on Turaev's shadows. Then, we prove that the natural extension of the Volume Conjecture…

For every n-component ribbon link L we prove that the Jones polynomial V(L) is divisible by the polynomial V(O^n) of the trivial link. This integrality property allows us to define a generalized determinant det V(L) := [V(L)/V(O^n)]_(t=-1),…

This is a PhD thesis about low dimensional topology, in particular knot thory in 3-manifolds also different from the 3-sphere, topological applications of quantum invariants, and Turaev's shadows. There is an introduction and a survey for…

For a graph G embedded in an orientable surface \Sigma, we consider associated links L(G) in the thickened surface \Sigma \times I. We relate the HOMFLY polynomial of L(G) to the recently defined Bollobas-Riordan polynomial of a ribbon…

We propose a gauge model of quantum electrodynamics (QED) and its nonabelian generalization from which we derive knot invariants such as the Jones polynomial. Our approach is inspired by the work of Witten who derived knot invariants from…

The ribbon number $r(K)$ of a ribbon knot $K \subset S^3$ is the minimal number of ribbon intersections contained in any ribbon disk bounded by $K$. We find new lower bounds for $r(K)$ using $\det(K)$ and $\Delta_K(t)$, and we prove that…

The Jones polynomial and the Kauffman bracket are constructed, and their relation with knot and link theory is described. The quantum groups and tangle functor formalisms for understanding these invariants and their descendents are given.…

An open question akin to the slice-ribbon conjecture asks whether every ribbon knot can be represented as a symmetric union. Next to this basic existence question sits the question of uniqueness of such representations. Eisermann and Lamm…

Let K in S^3 be a knot, and let \widetilde{K} denote the preimage of K inside its double branched cover, \Sigma(K). We prove, for each integer n > 1, the existence of a spectral sequence from Khovanov's categorification of the reduced…

We study a quantum version of the $n$-dimer model from statistical mechanics, based on the formalism from quantum topology developed by Reshetikhin and Turaev (the latter which, in particular, can be used to construct the Jones polynomial…

Kuperberg introduced web spaces for some Lie algebras which are generalizations of the Kauffman bracket skein module on a disk with marked points. We derive some formulas for $A_1$ and $A_2$ clasped web spaces by graphical calculus using…

The classical Thistlethwaite theorem for links can be phrased as asserting that the Kauffman bracket of a link can be obtained from an evaluation of the Bollob\'as-Riordan polynomial of a ribbon graph associated to one of the link's…

This is a survey talk on one of the best known quantum knot invariants, the colored Jones polynomial of a knot, and its relation to the algebraic/geometric topology and hyperbolic geometry of the knot complement. We review several aspects…

It has been argued based on electric-magnetic duality and other ingredients that the Jones polynomial of a knot in three dimensions can be computed by counting the solutions of certain gauge theory equations in four dimensions. Here, we…

We solve the Jones conjecture, which states that the exponent sum in a minimal braid representation of a knot in S^3 is a knot invariant, by proving a generalized version of the original one. We apply contact geometry to study this problem…

We study the behavior of the degree of the colored Jones polynomial and the boundary slopes of knots under the operation of cabling. We show that, under certain hypothesis on this degree, if a knot $K$ satisfies the Slope Conjecture then a…

The colored Jones function of a knot is a sequence of Laurent polynomials in one variable, whose n-th term is the Jones polynomial of the knot colored with the n-dimensional irreducible representation of SL(2). It was recently shown by TTQ…

Ribbon concordances between knots generalize the notion of ribbon knots. Agol, building on work of Gordon, proved ribbon concordance gives a partial order on knots in $S^3$. In previous work, the author and Greene conjectured that positive…

In this thesis, we prove several results concerning field-theoretic invariants of knots and 3-manifolds. In Chapter 2, for any knot $K$ in a closed, oriented 3-manifold $M$, we use $SU(2)$ representation spaces and the Lagrangian field…

A bottom tangle is a tangle in a cube consisting of arc components whose boundary points are on a line in the bottom square of the cube. A ribbon bottom tangle is a bottom tangle whose closure is a ribbon link. For every n-component ribbon…