Stable pairs and the HOMFLY polynomial (Q295798)

The author proves a conjecture of Oblomkov-Shende, relating the geometry of the Hilbert scheme of points of a plane curve singularity to the HOMFLY polynomial of its link. Following \textit{D.-E. Diaconescu} et al. [Commun. Number Theory Phys. 6, No. 3, 517--600 (2012; Zbl 1276.14065)] the Hilbert scheme side is reformulated in terms of the moduli space of stable pairs on a small resolution \(Y\) of a three-dimensional \(A_1\)-singularity, into which the plane curve \(C\) is embedded. By definition a \(C\)-framed stable pair is a pure one-dimensional sheaf \(\mathcal{F}\) on \(Y\) with section \(\sigma\), such that \(\mathrm{Coker}(\sigma)\) is zero-dimensional and outside the exceptional curve the pair \((\mathcal{F},\sigma)\) is isomorphic to the restriction of the surjection \(\mathcal{O}_Y \twoheadrightarrow \mathcal{O}_C\). Let \(\mathcal{P}(Y,C,r,n)\) be the moduli space of \(C\)-framed stable pairs with generic multiplicity \(r\) of the support of \(\mathcal F\) along the exceptional curve and \(n=\chi(\mathcal{\overline{F}})-\chi(\mathcal{O}_{\overline{C}})\) (computed on the projective closure). Then \(\mathbf{Z}'(Y,C;q,Q)\) is the generating function \(\sum q^nQ^r\chi_{\mathrm{top}}(\mathcal{P}(Y,C,r,n))\), normalised by dividing by \(\prod_k (1+q^kQ)^k\). There is also a colored variant \(\mathbf{Z}'(Y,C,\vec{\mu};q,Q)\). On the knot side there exists a colored variant \(\mathbf{W}(\mathcal{L},\vec{\lambda};v,s)\) of the HOMFLY polynomial. The main result of the paper is that there exist integers \(a(C,\vec{\mu})\), \(b(C,\vec{\mu})\) and a sign \((-1)^{\epsilon(C,\vec{\mu})}\) such that \[ \mathbf{Z}'(Y,C,\vec{\mu};s^2,-v^2)=(-1)^\epsilon v^as^b\mathbf{W}(\mathcal{L},\vec{\lambda};v,s)\;. \] The monomial shift involved is written out in the uncolored case. The strategy of the proof is to use the behaviour under a flop to prove a blow-up formula for \(\mathbf{Z}'\). There is a corresponding, compatible formula on the link side. This allows reduction to the nodal case.