A separation result for quantum coalgebras with an application to pointed quantum coalgebras of small dimension (Q1972031)

The main purpose of the paper is to describe a theoretical construction which should greatly simplify the study of the quantum coalgebras as structures which produce 1-1 tangle and/or knot invarinats. The construction is used to study a class of quantum coalgebras related to the classification of the quantum algebra structures on the matrix algebra \(M_2(k)\), where \(k\) is an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. These coalgebras are pointed and they give rise to 1-1 tangle invariants dominated by the writhe and Whitney degree or the writhe.