An annular refinement of the transverse element in Khovanov homology (Q312405)

This paper deals with a function \(\kappa: B_n \rightarrow \mathbb{N} \), where \(B_n\) is the braid group on \(n\) strands. In the paper, the authors prove that \(\kappa\) is an invariant of conjugacy classes in the braid group \(B_n\). The invariant is obtained by refining Plamenevskaya's transverse element \(\psi\) in Khovanov homology via the annular grading. Using \(\kappa\), the authors construct an obstruction to negative destabilization that is stronger than \(\psi\). In addition, some other properties of \(\kappa\) are proved. Here are some of them: If a closed \(n\)-braid \(\beta\) is a negative stabilization of another braid, then \(\kappa(\beta)=2\). \(\kappa(\beta)\) is not an invariant of transverse links. If two braids \(\sigma\) and \(\beta\) are related by a single exchange move or a single positive flype, then \(|\kappa(\sigma)-\kappa(\beta)| \leq 2\). If an element \(\beta\) of \(B_n\) can be represented by a braid word containing a factor \(\sigma_i^{-1}\) but not \(\sigma_i\) for some \(i=1,\ldots,n-1,\) then \(\kappa(\beta)=2.\) If \(\kappa(\sigma) \neq 2\), and \(\kappa(m(\sigma)) \neq 2\), where \(m(\sigma)\) is the mirror image of \(\sigma\), then \(\sigma = 1\). This last statement provides a solution to the word problem in braid groups. Furthermore, it is proved that \(\kappa\) is a lower bound on the length of the spectral sequence from annular Khovanov homology to Khovanov homology, and with this, the paper shows concrete examples in which this spectral sequence does not collapse immediately. The last section of the paper studies these constructions in reduced Khovanov homology and shows that the two reduced versions are fundamentally different with respect to the annular filtration.