Category theoretic representations of knotted graphs in \(S^ 3\) (Q1822801)

The current work grew out of the suggestion of John Simon that there should be a monoid of ``branched braids'' which could play a role in the theory of knotted graphs in \({\mathbb{S}}^ 3\) analogous to that played by the Artin braid groups in classical knot theory. Rather than pursue that suggestion directly, we adopt the approach of \textit{P. J. Freyd} and the author [reviewed below (see Zbl 0679.57003)], where a succinct description of the category of tangles is given using a generalization of compact closed categories (cf. \textit{G. M. Kelly} and \textit{M. L. Laplaza} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 19, 193-213 (1980; Zbl 0447.18005)] and \textit{A. Joyal} and \textit{R. Street} [Braided monoidal categories (preprint)]). That work relies on classical results of \textit{K. Reidemeister} [Knotentheorie (Berlin 1932; Zbl 0005.12001); Engl. ed. (1983; Zbl 0519.57004)] to reduce the description of ambient isotopy of knots in \({\mathbb{S}}^ 3\) to combinatorial ``moves'' on diagrams. In Section 1, we generalize these results to graphs embedded in \({\mathbb{S}}^ 3\). (Generalized Reidemeister moves for embedded graphs have been derived independently by \textit{L. H. Kauffman} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 311, No.2, 697-710 (1989) and Am. Math. Mon. 95, No.3, 195-242 (1988; Zbl 0657.57001)].) In Section 2, we translate this combinatorics into a description of a category of ``branched tangles'', and in section 3 we use representations of the category of branched tangles to define ambient isotopy invariants of graphs embedded in \({\mathbb{S}}^ 3\).