Twisted Alexander polynomial of a ribbon 2-knot of 1-fusion (Q2215983)

Let \(\mathbb{F}\) a field. The main result of the paper shows that the Alexander polynomial associated to an irreducible \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{F})\)-representation of a ribbon \(2\)-knot group is a polynomial. The proof exploits the characterization of a ribbon \(2\)-knot group \(G\) in terms of the derived quotient and the Wirtinger representation. When the representation of \(G\) into \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{F})\) is irreducible, there exists an element in the commutator subgroup without \(1\) among its eigenvalues. The latter condition guarantees the fact that the Alexander polynomial is a Laurent polynomial. In the particular case of fibered \(2\)-knots, the authors show that the highest and the lowest degree coefficients are \(\pm 1\), as in the classic case. The authors conclude with some computations and examples.