Khovanov width and dealternation number of positive braid links (Q2331765)

For a knot or link \(L\), the dealternation number is the smallest number of crossing changes needed to turn some diagram of \(L\) into an alternating diagram. By definition, it is obvious that the ratio between the dealternation number and the crossing number is at most one-half. The main result of the paper under review is to give an upper bound for this ratio when \(L\) is represented as the closure of a positive braid. More precisely, let \(L\) be a link with braid index \(n\). If \(L\) can be represented as the closure of a positive braid on \(n\) strands, then the ratio between the dealternation number and the crossing number is at most \(1/2-1/2(n^2-n+1)\). Indeed, the authors give a family of links defined as the closures of positive braids on \(n\) strands which satisfies that the above ratio converges to one-half as \(n\) goes to infinity. The same family also enjoys the property that the ratio between the Khovanov width and the crossing number converges to one-half. In general, the largest ratio between the dealternation number and the crossing number for positive braid links with fixed braid index \(n\) is unknown. When \(n=3\), it is known to be \(1/4\). The authors show that the ratio is at most \(1/3\) when \(n=4\). The second part of the paper discusses the smooth cobordism distance between knots, which is the minimal genus among all smooth cobordisms connecting two knots. For two torus knots \(T(2,n)\) and \(T(6,m)\) of braid index \(2\) and \(6\) respectively, their smooth cobordism distance is exactly calculated in terms of \(n\) and \(m\). In particular, the distance is the maximum between the difference of their tau invariants and the difference of the values at one of their Upsilon invariants.