An Alexander polynomial for MOY graphs (Q2174756)

It is well known that there exist diverse versions of Alexander polynomials for spatial graphs. In this paper, the authors introduce another non equivalent version of an Alexander polynomial for a class of spatial graphs called MOY graphs. For a framed trivalent MOY graph, they can fix a normalization of the Alexander polynomial so that it is a well-defined rational function invariant under framed ambient isotopy. Moreover, they write down a set of 10 MOY-type relations which uniquely chracterize this polynomial and provide a graphical definition of the Alexander polynomial of a link. Furthermore, they discuss some properties and topological applications of this polynomial and give a necessary condition for the planarity of a graph in terms of the coefficients of its Alexander polynomial.