Generalized normal rulings and invariants of Legendrian solid torus links (Q453231)

There exist interesting connections between the \(2\)-variable knot polynomials and invariants of Legendrian knots in \(\mathbb R^3\). With respect to the standard contact structure on \(\mathbb R^3\), \textit{D.~Fuchs} and \textit{S.~Tabachnikov} [Topology 36, No. 5, 1025--1053 (1997; Zbl 0904.57006)] showed that an upper bound for the Thurston-Bennequin number arises from the Kauffman and HOMFLY-PT knot polynomials. Furthermore, when this estimate is sharp then for a Legendrian link \(L\subset\mathbb R^3\) the following three statements are all equivalent: (i)\,the estimate \(\text{tb}(L)\leq -\text{deg}_aF_L\) (respectively \(\text{tb}(L)\leq -\text{deg}_aP_L\)) is sharp, where \(F_L\), \(P_L\in \mathbb Z[a^{\pm 1},z^{\pm 1}]\) denote the Kauffman and HOMFLY-PT polynomials, (ii)\, a front diagram for \(L\) has a \(1\)-graded (respectively \(2\)-graded) normal ruling, (iii)\,the Chekanov-Eliashberg differential graded algebra of \(L\) has a \(1\)-graded (respectively \(2\)-graded) augmentation. In this paper, the authors establish analogous results for Legendrian knots in the \(1\)-jet space of the circle \(J^1S^1\). The manifold \(J^1S^1\) is topologically an open solid torus and carries a standard contact structure. For a Legendrian link \(L\subset J^1S^1\), they prove that the estimate \(\text{tb}(L)\leq -\text{deg}_aF_L\) (respectively \(\text{tb}(L)\leq -\text{deg}_aP_L\)) is sharp if and only if \(L\) has a \(1\)-graded (respectively \(2\)-graded) generalized normal ruling. Also, it is shown that if \(L\) has been assigned a \(\mathbb Z/p\)-valued Maslov potential, then the Chekanov-Eliashberg differential graded algebra of \(L\) has a \(p\)-graded augmentation if and only if a front diagram for \(L\) admits a \(p\)-graded generalized normal ruling.