QUASIPOSITIVE ANNULI (CONSTRUCTIONS OF QUASIPOSITIVE KNOTS AND LINKS, IV) (Q4033407)

[For Part III see Topology 31, No. 2, 231-237 (1992; Zbl 0763.57008).] The class of quasi-positive braids has been studied for a number of years, particularly in view of their role in representing knots and links related to algebraic curves in \(\mathbb{C}^ 2\). These braids form an extension of the set of positive braids, by allowing positively oriented interchanges of non-adjacent strings viewed as the edge of a half-twisted band which lies in front of all the intervening strings. A closed quasi- positive braid has a naturally constructed spanning surface made up of discs connected by braids. This paper is concerned with the case when the surface is an annulus, or union of annuli. In this case each annulus defines a natural framing for its core curve. The paper shows that a given knot or link can always be embedded as the core of such an annular surface, but that there is a restriction on the framings which can be realised. The modulus of quasi-positivity for \(K\) is defined to be the supremum of the realisable framings for \(K\). This is then related to the framings achievable by embedding \(K\) on the fibre surface of a positive torus link and looking at its annular neighbourhood. Geometric constructions are used to give the existence of embeddings, while the other bound is provided by use of the Homfly and Kauffman polynomials. The paper finishes with calculations for some classes of knots in which the bounds are calculated exactly.