Related papers: Wilson Surfaces for Surface Knots
We study the integral expression of a knot invariant obtained as the second coefficient in the perturbative expansion of Witten's Chern-Simons path integral associated with a knot. One of the integrals involved turns out to be a…
We use deep neural networks to machine learn correlations between knot invariants in various dimensions. The three-dimensional invariant of interest is the Jones polynomial $J(q)$, and the four-dimensional invariants are the Khovanov…
We consider Wilson loop observables for Chern-Simons theory at large N and its topological string dual and extend the previous checks for this duality to the case of links. We find an interesting structure involving representation/spin…
We define a sequence of invariants $\mathcal{Z}_{N}^{\psi}$ of tangles with flat $\mathfrak{sl}_{2}$ connections (i.e. hyperbolic structures) on their complements. These can be interpreted as a geometric twist of the Kashaev invariant or as…
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…
We derive a closed-form expression for the adjoint polynomials of torus knots and investigate their special properties. The results are presented in the very explicit double sum form and provide a deeper insight into the structure of…
Recent work on the loop representation of quantum gravity has revealed previously unsuspected connections between knot theory and quantum gravity, or more generally, 3-dimensional topology and 4-dimensional generally covariant physics. We…
In this note we use Heegaard Floer homology to study smooth cobordisms of algebraic knots and complex deformations of cusp singularities of curves. The main tool will be the concordance invariant $\nu^+$: we study its behaviour with respect…
We study a twisted Alexander polynomial naturally associated to a hyperbolic knot in an integer homology 3-sphere via a lift of the holonomy representation to SL(2, C). It is an unambiguous symmetric Laurent polynomial whose coefficients…
This paper is a brief overview of some of our recent results in collaboration with other authors. The cocycle invariants of classical knots and knotted surfaces are summarized, and some applications are presented.
We study the framing dependence of the Wilson loop observable of U(N) Chern-Simons gauge theory at large N. Using proposed geometrical large N dual, this leads to a direct computation of certain topological string amplitudes in a closed…
Khovanov homology for knots has generated a flurry of activity in the topology community. This paper studies the Khovanov type cohomology for graphs with a special attention to torsions. When the underlying algebra is $\mathbb{Z}[x]/(x^2)$,…
Virtual knot theory is a generalization (discovered by the author in 1996) of knot theory to the study of all oriented Gauss codes. (Classical knot theory is a study of planar Gauss codes.) Graph theory studies non-planar graphs via…
We introduce a geometric invariant of knots in the three-sphere, called the first-order genus, that is derived from certain 2-complexes called gropes, and we show it is computable for many examples. While computing this invariant, we draw…
Virtual knot theory, introduced by Kauffman, is a generalization of classical knot theory of interest because its finite-type invariant theory is potentially a topological interpretation of Etingof and Kazhdan's theory of quantization of…
We make a precision test of a recently proposed conjecture relating Chern-Simons gauge theory to topological string theory on the resolution of the conifold. First, we develop a systematic procedure to extract string amplitudes from vacuum…
In this paper we discuss the applications of knotoids to modelling knots in open curves and produce new knotoid invariants. We show how invariants of knotoids generally give rise to well-behaved measures of how much an open curve is…
$\rm SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ Chern-Simons theory on a closed 3-manifold is one of the most interesting, yet tractable examples of a QFT. On one hand, its non-perturbative structure is not yet fully understood; on the other, the mathematical…
Quandle cocycle invariants form a powerful and well developed tool in knot theory. This paper treats their variations - namely, positive and twisted quandle cocycle invariants, and shadow invariants. We interpret the former as particular…
The theory of quandle (co)homology and cocycle knot invariants is rapidly being developed. We begin with a summary of these recent advances. One such advance is the notion of a dynamical cocycle. We show how dynamical cocycles can be used…