On Torres-type relations for the Alexander polynomials of links (Q1826166)

Let K be a smooth (spherical, codimension 2) n-component link in an odd dimensional sphere \(S^ m\), suppose that an ordering of the components of K has been chosen, and let L be the sublink of K obtained by omitting the last component. For the classical case \(m=3\), \textit{G. Torres} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 57, 57-89 (1953; Zbl 0050.179)] obtained a formula which relates the Alexander polynomial \(\Delta (L)(t_ 1,...,t_{n-1})\) to \(\Delta (K)(t_ 1,...,t_{n-1},1)\). In the present paper, which is partly expository and is fairly self-contained, the author generalizes Torres' formula in two ways. The first generalization is to higher dimensional links, more precisely, to the case \(m\geq 5\). The second one concerns higher Alexander polynomials of classical links; the author's formula relates \(\Delta_{u-1}(L)\) to \(\Delta_ u(K)(t_ 1,...,t_{n- 1},1)\) where \(\Delta_ u(K)\) is the first nonzero Alexander polynomial of K, and extends a formula (covering the case \(u=2)\) recently obtained by \textit{J. P. Levine} [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 36, 91-108 (1987; Zbl 0628.57006)].