On the Kauffman skein modules (Q1849568)

Let \(M\) be a smooth, compact and oriented \(3\)-manifold and let \(k\) be an integer domain containing the invertible elements \(\alpha\) and \(s\) so that \(s-s^{-1}\) is also invertible in \(k\). \textit{P. M. Gilmer} and \textit{J. K. Zhong} [On the Homflypt skein module of \(S^1\times S^2\), Math. Z. 237, No. 4, 769-814 (2001; Zbl 1034.57012)] investigated the relative Homflypt skein module \(S(S^1\times D^2, A, B)\) of the solid torus with \(A\) an input point and \(B\) an output point on the boundary of \(S^1\times D^2\) and analyzed the Homflypt skein module \(S(S^1\times S^2)\) of \(S^1\times S^2\). Let \(K(M)\) denote the Kauffman skein module of \(M\), i.e. the \(k\)-module freely generated by isotopy classes of framed links in \(M\) modulo the Kauffman skein relations. The authors of the present paper study the structure of the Kauffman skein modules \(K(S^1\times D^2)\) and \(K(S^1\times S^2)\) over \(k={\mathbb Q}(\alpha , s)\), the field of rational functions in \(\alpha \) and \(s\). In particular, the authors describe explicitly a basis for the Kauffman skein module of the solid torus and show that \(K(S^1\times S^2)\) is freely generated by the empty link, i.e \(K(S^1\times S^2)\cong k\). The authors also study the relative Kauffman skein module \(K(S^1\times D^2,AB)\) of the solid torus with two points \(A\) and \(B\) on the boundary. The main result here is that in the case \(k={\mathbb Q}(\alpha , s)\), \(K(S^1\times D^2,AB)\) has a countable infinite basis given by the collection of elements of \(\{ Q_{\lambda',c}, Q_{\lambda ,c}''\}\), where \(\lambda\) runs over all nonempty Young diagrams and \(c\) varies over all extreme cells of \(\lambda\). The proof of the main theorems uses the results of the paper of Gilmer and Zhong [loc. cit.], and the results of \textit{A. Beliakova} and \textit{C. Blanchet}'s work [Skein construction of idempotents in Birman-Murakami-Wenzl algebras, Math. Ann. 321, No. 2, 347-373 (2001; Zbl 1015.16041)] on the relationship between the Birman-Murakami-Wenzl algebra \(K_n\) and the Hecke algebra \(H_n\) of type A.