On cobordisms between knots, braid index, and the upsilon-invariant (Q2405860)

The \textit{slice genus} \(g_4(K)\) of a knot \(K\) is the minimal genus of a properly embedded smooth oriented surface in the 4-ball with boundary \(K\). The \textit{cobordism distance} \(d(K,J)\) between two knots \(K\) and \(J\) is defined as \(g_4(K \# \overline{J})\) and, as a consequence, the following inequality holds: \[ |g_4(K)-g_4(J)| \leq d(K,J). \] In the paper paper under review, the authors sharpen this inequality in the case where \(K\) and \(J\) are quasi-positive by bringing the braid index into play. Instead of giving the precise statement (Theorem 1.1), we mention that in the case where \(K\) and \(J\) are concordant, the result is strong enough to detect the braid index (Corollary 1.2) and to recover a result of \textit{J. Franks} and \textit{R. F. Williams}, see Corollary 1.4 in [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 303, 97--108 (1987; Zbl 0647.57002)]. The proof of Theorem 1.1 involves the \(\Upsilon\) invariant of Oszváth-Stipsicz-Szabó [\textit{P. S. Ozsváth} et al., Adv. Math. 315, 366--426 (2017; Zbl 1383.57020)]. In particular, the authors provide inductive formulas for the \(\Upsilon\) invariant of torus knots. Finally, in the last section of the paper, the authors compare the \(\Upsilon\) invariant and the Levine-Tristram signature.