Bounds for the Thurston-Bennequin number from Floer homology (Q1880637): Difference between revisions

If \(K\) is a Legendrian knot in \(S^3\) with the standard contact structure, the classical Bennequin-Thurston inequality says: \[ tb(K)+| r(K)| \leq 2g(K)-1 \] where \(tb(K)\) is the Bennequin-Thurston number, \(r(K)\) the rotation number and \(g(K)\) the genus of \(K\). This inequality was improved by Lee Rudolph to state \[ tb(K)+| r(K)| \leq 2g^*(K)-1 \] where \(g^*(K)\) is the 4-ball genus of \(K\). In the present note this inequality is further improved to \[ tb(K)+| r(K)| \leq 2\tau (K)-1 \] where \(\tau (K)\) is the Oszváth-Szabó knot concordance invariant. Using the fact that \(\tau (K)\leq u(K)\), the unknotting number of \(K\), it is shown by some examples that this inequality can be useful for computing \(\tau (K)\).