Notes on the braid index of closed positive braids. (Q1421961)

The braid index \(b(L)\) of a link \(L\) is the minimal number of strings of braids whose closure represents \(L\). It was proved independently by \textit{H. R. Morton} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 99, 107-109 (1986; Zbl 0588.57008)] and \textit{J. Franks and R. F. Williams} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 303, 97-108 (1987; Zbl 0647.57002)] that \(b(L)\) is bounded below in terms of the degree of the HOMFLY polynomial. For two different classes of links, the braid index was conjectured to coincide with the aforementioned lower bound: the class of alternating links (Murasugi) and that of positive closed braids (Franks and Williams). As far as the first class is concerned, the conjecture is true for \(2\)-bridge and fibred alternating links, see \textit{K. Murasugi} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 326, 237--260 (1991; Zbl 0751.57008)], but false for arbitrary alternating links, see \textit{K. Murasugi} and \textit{J. H. Przytycki} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 106 (1993; Zbl 0792.05047)]. The second conjecture was disproved by \textit{H. R. Morton and H. B. Short} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 101, 267--278 (1987; Zbl 0629.57001)], although the lower bound is attained for certain classes of positive closed braids (e.g., torus links). In the paper under review, the author considers the Franks and Williams conjecture and proves that the bound is attained by positive braids with at most \(3\) strings, showing that Morton and Short's example (a positive closed braid on \(4\) strings) has the smallest possible number of strings. The author proves, moreover, that \((2,n)\)-torus links (i.e. positive braids on \(2\)-strings) are characterized among positive braids by the fact that the lower bound is \(2\). The second part of the paper is devoted to the construction of an infinite family of counterexamples to the Franks and Williams conjecture: these are \(2\)-cables of the \((n+1,n)\)-torus knots and generalise the construction of Morton and Short who considered a \(2\)-cable of the trefoil knot.