Odd Khovanov homology (Q1954150): Difference between revisions

The odd version of Khovanov homology is introduced in this paper. In [Commun. Algebra 29, No. 11, 5033--5052 (2001; Zbl 1018.16015)], \textit{M. Khovanov} presented a link invariant of homological nature. For a given diagram, the construction starts with a hypercube of resolutions decorated with elements of the abstract \(1+1\)--cobordism category: vertices are decorated with resolutions of the diagram, and edges with saddles that realize the resolution switch of a crossing. Then a functor to the category of graded modules is applied which sends notably disjoint unions to tensor products. At this stage, all faces of the hypercube commute, so, over \(\mathbb{F}_2\), its generalized cone defines a chain complex. Over \(\mathbb{Z}\), some \textit{ad hoc} signs must be added on edges to make all the faces anti-commute. The associated homology \(\text{Kh}\) is Khovanov's invariant and it categorifies the unnormalized Jones polynomial. Over \(\mathbb{F}_2\), there is a well defined reduced version \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}\) which categorifies the normalized Jones polynomial [\textit{M. Khovanov}, Exp. Math. 12, No. 3, 365--374 (2003; Zbl 1073.57007)]. The homology \(\text{Kh}\) splits into a direct sum of two shifted copies of \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}\), and there is a spectral sequence connecting \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}\) to the Heegaard--Floer homology of the branched double cover of the link [\textit{P. Ozsváth} and \textit{Z. Szabó}, Adv. Math. 194, No. 1, 1--33 (2005; Zbl 1076.57013)]. Over \(\mathbb{Z}\), the reduced version depends on the choice of a composant and neither the decomposition nor the spectral sequence hold anymore. In this paper, the authors present a variant \(\text{Kh}'\), called odd Khovanov homology, whose construction starts with the same cube of resolutions, but with a different functor which sends disjoint unions of circles to the exterior algebra spanned by them. This should not be confused with the construction given by \textit{V. O. Manturov} in [J. Knot Theory Ramifications 16, No. 3, 345--377 (2007; Zbl 1117.57013)] which relies also on exterior algebra but gives back the usual Khovanov homology. Tensor products provide natural signs but produce also a sign undeterminacy due to the lack of order between the two resulting components of a circle splitting. The latter is fixed by choosing an arbitrary orientation on each resolved crossing. However, not all the hypercube faces anti-commute then and a signs assignment on the edges still has to be added to rectify the deficiency. The two functors coincide over \(\mathbb{F}_2\), but not over \(\mathbb{Z}\). In particular, the reduced version \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}'\) is well defined for links and the decomposition of \(\text{Kh}'\) as as sum of shifted copies of \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}'\) holds even over \(\mathbb{Z}\). The existence of a spectral sequence over \(\mathbb{Z}\) from \(\widetilde{\text{Kh}}'\) to the Heegaard--Floer homology of the branched double cover is conjectured and was actually the first purpose of the construction. The paper is organised as follows. The first section is introductory but contains all the definitions, in particular that of the functor. In section two, the deficiency of the faces being anticommuting is interpreted as a cocycle on a contractible cell complex and hence as the coboundary of a sign assignment on the edges which can be used to rectify it. This perspective also provides a proof that the homology does not depend on the chosen preimage for the cocycle. Then explicit isomorphisms are given to prove that the homology does not depend at all on the choice of resolved crossing orientation and of sign assignment. The third section deals with the invariance under Reidemeister moves. It follows closely the proof given for the usual case in [\textit{D. Bar-Natan}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 2, 337--370 (2002; Zbl 0998.57016)]. In section four, the reduced version is defined and the decomposition of the non reduced homology in terms of the reduced ones is proved. The paper ends with some computations, showing that, if odd and usual Khovanov homologies coincide for quasi-alternating knots, the reduced odd version tends to have smaller rank than the reduced usual one.