Homogeneous links, Seifert surfaces, digraphs and the reduced Alexander polynomial (Q376275)

Let \(L\) be a link and let \(\Delta_L^0(t)\) denote the reduced Alexander polynomial of \(L\), obtained from the Alexander polynomial \(\Delta_L (t)\) by multiplying by \(\pm t^m\) for some \(m \in \mathbb N\) so that \(\Delta_L^0 (0)\) is positive and defined (as long as \(\Delta_L (t) \neq 0\)). A link \(L\) is called special if there is some diagram \(D\) for \(L\) with the property that every Seifert circle bounds a disk is \(S^2\setminus D\). By associating a graph \(\Gamma\) with a link and classifying the spanning trees of \(\Gamma\) that can arise if \(\Delta_L^0(0)<4\), the paper under review shows that for any prime, alternating, special link with \(\Delta_L^0(0)<4\), there is a unique incompressible Seifert surface \(R\) for \(L\). Further, this paper shows that if \(L\) is a non-split homogeneous link and \(\Delta_L^0<4\), then \(L\) has a unique incompressible Seifert surface. This result is achieved by breaking a homogenous diagram \(D\) for \(L\) into prime pieces \(D_i\) for \(1\leq i \leq n\), each of which has an associated alternating special link \(L_i\) for \(1\leq i \leq n\). By the result listed above, each \(L_i\) has a unique incompressible Seifert surface \(R_i\), and these surfaces are combined to build the unique incompressible Seifert surface for \(L\).