Kauffman states, bordered algebras, and a bigraded knot invariant (Q1705485)

The Alexander polynomial is a link invariant that was first defined up to a factor as the determinant of a matrix associated with an oriented diagram of the given link. Almost fifty years later, this invariant was reformulated as Kauffman state summation, each of which contributes a monomial in the formal variable. Moreover, this formulation was lifted to knot Floer homology that categorifies this polynomial. In this paper the authors define and discuss a new bigraded knot invariant closely related to knot Floer homology whose Euler characteristic is also the Alexander polynomial. It is the homology of a chain complex whose generators correspond to the Kauffman states and its differentials are described algebraically according to some decomposition of the knot diagram.