Related papers: Invariants for trivalent tangles and handlebody-ta…
We define relative versions of the classical invariants of Legendrian and transverse knots in contact 3-manifolds for knots that are homologous to a fixed reference knot. We show these invariants are well-defined and give some basic…
A clover is a framed trivalent graph with some additional structure, embedded in a 3-manifold. We define surgery on clovers, generalizing surgery on Y-graphs used earlier by the second author to define a new theory of finite-type invariants…
This paper is a short introduction to the theory of tangles, both in graphs and general connectivity systems. An emphasis is put on the correspondence between tangles of order k and k-connected components. In particular, we prove that there…
We give a new construction of the one-variable Alexander polynomial of an oriented knot or link, and show that it generalizes to a vector valued invariant of oriented tangles.
We construct a state model for the two-variable Kauffman polynomial using planar trivalent graphs. We also use this model to obtain a polynomial invariant for a certain type of trivalent graphs embedded in three-dimensional space.
To study embeddings of tangles in knots, we use quandle cocycle invariants. Computations are carried out for the tables of knots and tangles, to investigate which tangles may or may not embed in knots in the tables.
It had been known since old times [MO, Da] that there exists a universal finite type invariant ("an expansion") Z^{old} for Knotted Trivalent Graphs (KTGs), and that it can be chosen to intertwine between some of the standard operations on…
Virtual knot theory is a generalization of knot theory which is based on Gauss chord diagrams and link diagrams on closed oriented surfaces. A twisted knot is a generalization of a virtual knot, which corresponds to a link diagram on a…
We define additional gradings on two generalisations of Khovanov homology (one due to the first author, the other due to the second), and use them to define invariants of various kinds of embeddings. These include invariants of links in…
Khovanov homology is an invariant for links in the three sphere that categorizes the Jones polynomial. We extend Khovanov's construction to links in 3-manifolds that are connected sums of orientable interval bundles over surfaces. Cutting…
Associated to an embedded surface in the $3$-sphere, we construct a diagram of fundamental groups, and prove that it is a complete invariant, wherefrom we deduce complete invariants of handlebody links, tunnels of handlebody links, and…
We consider an algebra of (classical or virtual) tangles over an ordered circuit operad and introduce Conway-type invariants of tangles which respect this algebraic structure. The resulting invariants contain both the coefficients of the…
We extend knot contact homology to a theory over the ring $\mathbb{Z}[\lambda^{\pm 1},\mu^{\pm 1}]$, with the invariant given topologically and combinatorially. The improved invariant, which is defined for framed knots in $S^3$ and can be…
A group invariant for links in thickened closed orientable surfaces is studied. Associated polynomial invariants are defined. The group detects nontriviality of a virtual link and determines its virtual genus.
Classical knot theory deals with {\em diagrams} and {\em invariants}. By means of horizontal {\em trisecants}, we construct a new theory of classical braids with invariants valued in {\em pictures}. These pictures are closely related to…
We define an invariant of welded virtual knots from each finite crossed module by considering crossed module invariants of ribbon knotted surfaces which are naturally associated with them. We elucidate that the invariants obtained are non…
We introduce two notions of quandle polynomials for G-families of quandles: the quandle polynomial of the associated quandle and a G-family polynomial with coefficients in the group ring of G. As an application we define image subquandle…
We use the structure of skew braces to enhance the biquandle counting invariant for virtual knots and links for finite biquandles defined from skew braces. We introduce two new invariants: a single-variable polynomial using skew brace…
We study tangle replacement in the context of spatial graphs. The main results show that, for certain spatial handcuff graphs, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the neighborhood equivalence classes of the spatial graphs obtained…
The involutory birack counting invariant is an integer-valued invariant of unoriented tangles defined by counting homomorphisms from the fundamental involutory birack of the tangle to a finite involutory birack over a set of framings modulo…