Related papers: Log-concavity of the Alexander polynomial
The Alexander polynomial (1928) is the first polynomial invariant of links devised to help distinguish links up to isotopy. Fox's conjecture (1962) -- stating that the absolute values of the coefficients of the Alexander polynomial for any…
The Links--Gould invariant $\mathrm{LG}(L ; t_0, t_1)$ of a link $L$ is a two-variable quantum generalization of the Alexander--Conway polynomial $\Delta_L(t)$ and has been shown to share some of its most geometric features in several…
The trapezoidal Fox conjecture states that the coefficient sequence of the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is unimodal. We are motivated by a harder question, the strong Fox conjecture, which asks whether the coefficient…
Fox's conjecture from 1962, that the absolute values of the coefficients of the Alexander polynomial of an alternating link are trapezoidal, has remained stubbornly open to this date. Recently Fox's conjecture was settled for all special…
Fox conjectured the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is trapezoidal, i.e. the coefficients first increase, then stabilize and finally decrease in a symmetric way. Recently, Hirasawa and Murasugi further conjectured a relation…
We consider Conway polynomials of two-bridge links as Euler continuant polynomials. As a consequence, we obtain new and elementary proofs of classical Murasugi's 1958 alternating theorem and Hartley's 1979 trapezoidal theorem. We give a…
We prove that the Alexander polynomials of certain families of alternating 4-braid knots satisfy Fox's Trapezoidal Conjecture. Moreover, we give explicit formulas for the signature and for the first 4 coefficients of the Alexander…
Polynomial invariants constitute a dynamic and essential area of study in the mathematical theory of knots. From the pioneer Alexander polynomial, the revolutionary Jones polynomial, to the collectively discovered HOMFLYPT polynomial, just…
The leading coefficient of the Alexander polynomial of a knot is the most informative element in this invariant, and the growth of orders of the first homology of cyclic branched covering spaces is also a familiar subject. Accordingly,…
In this paper we present a sequence of link invariants, defined from twisted Alexander polynomials, and discuss their effectiveness in distinguish knots. In particular, we recast and extend by geometric means a recent result of Silver and…
Fox's conjecture (1962) states that the sequence of absolute values of the coefficients of the Alexander polynomial of alternating links is trapezoidal. While the conjecture remains open in general, a number of special cases have been…
In 1928, Alexander defined a sequence of knot polynomials, D_i(K). The first, D_1(K), is the classical Alexander polynomial. These are easily defined in terms of the homology of the infinite cyclic cover of the knot. In theory they can be…
We introduce a new invariant of tangles along with an algebraic framework in which to understand it. We claim that the invariant contains the classical Alexander polynomial of knots and its multivariable extension to links. We argue that of…
This paper is expository and is accessible to students. We define simple invariants of knots or links (linking number, Arf-Casson invariants and Alexander-Conway polynomials) motivated by interesting results whose statements are accessible…
Closed geodesics associated with indefinite binary quadratic forms, or equivalently with real quadratic irrationals, have long been studied as geometric $\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{Z})$-invariants. Building on the Birman-Williams approach to…
A categorification of a polynomial link invariant is an homological invariant which contains the polynomial one as its graded Euler characteristic. This field has been initiated by Khovanov categorification of the Jones polynomial. Later,…
One construction of the Alexander polynomial is as a quantum invariant associated with representations of restricted quantum $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ at a fourth root of unity. We generalize this construction to define a link invariant…
The Alexander theorem (1923) and the Markov theorem (1936) are two classical results in knot theory that show respectively that every link is the closure of a braid and that braids that have the same closure are related by a finite number…
A polynomial invariant of virtual links, arising from an invariant of links in thickened surfaces introduced by Jaeger, Kauffman, and Saleur, is defined and its properties are investigated. Examples are given that the invariant can detect…
This paper contains the strongest and at the same time most calculable knot invariant ever. Let $\Theta$ be the topological moduli space of all ordered oriented tangles in 3-space. We construct a non-trivial combinatorial 1-cocycle…