Octonions, monopoles, and knots (Q2351640)

The article under review proposes an alternative to the Haydys--Witten equations, which is a central ingredient in Witten's interpretation of Khovanov homology in terms of gauge theory [\textit{E. Witten}, Quantum Topol. 3, No. 1, 1--137 (2012; Zbl 1241.57041)]. This 5-dimensional system of PDEs is shown to come from an 8-dimensional system (the \(\mathrm{Spin}(7)\) instanton equations) described using octonions. The author then shows that on a manifold with \(G_2\) holonomy, the latter system also admits a 7-dimensional reduction, which he calls the octonionic monopole equation. Based on string theory considerations, he conjectures that there is a one-to-one correspondence between its solutions and solutions to the Haydys--Witten equations. The paper ends with some speculations on the quantum-theoretic significance of the octonionic monopole equation.