Link invariants via counting surfaces (Q476405)

The concept of Gauss diagram invariants of knots was introduced by \textit{M. Polyak} and \textit{O. Viro} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 1994, No. 11, 445--453 (1994; Zbl 0851.57010)], and \textit{T. Fiedler} [Gauss diagram invariants for knots and links. Mathematics and its Applications (Dordrecht). 532. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers xvi, 412 p. (2002; Zbl 1009.57001)]. A Gauss diagram \(G=G(D)\) of a knot diagram \(D\) is a circle with arrows connecting preimages of a crossing and oriented toward the overpass, with the sign of the crossing attached. For \(m\)-component links one has a diagram with \(m\) circles. A pattern \(A\) is a circle with arrows inside (without sign). By summing the product of the signs of these crossings over tuples of crossings of \(G(D)\) obeying the pattern \(A\), one has a pairing \(\langle A,G\rangle\), which is linearly extended to linear combinations \(I\) of patterns. The goal was to find and study such linear combinations for which \(I(L)=\langle I,G(D)\rangle\) depends only on the knot/link \(L\) underlying \(D\). Then one can call \(I\) a Gauss sum (knot/link) invariant. It was easily recognized that Gauss sum invariants are Vassiliev invariants (or finite type invariants), and Goussarov-Polyak-Viro [\textit{M. Goussarov} et al., Topology 39, No. 5, 1045--1068 (2000; Zbl 1006.57005)] proved that every Vassiliev invariant has a Gauss sum formula. However, in higher degrees these formulas are quite complicated, and until recently, only few explicit formulas were known. Chmutov-Khoury-Rossi found such formulas for the coefficients of the Conway polynomial [\textit{S. Chmutov} et al., J. Knot Theory Ramifications 18, No. 6, 773--783 (2009; Zbl 1195.57026)], extending the formula for degree 2 of \textit{M. Polyak} and \textit{O. Viro} [J. Knot Theory Ramifications 10, No. 5, 711--738 (2001; Zbl 0997.57021)]. To choose which patterns \(A\) occur, thicken arrows into bands. We choose \(A\) if the resulting (orientable) surface \(S(A)\) has one boundary component. The arrows must be suitably oriented, reflected in the notion of ascending/descending pattern. Here also a basepoint is chosen on one circle. Chmutov-Khoury-Rossi proved that for knots and 2-component links the sum of such patterns gives Gauss sum formulas for the coefficients of the Conway polynomial. In this paper, the result is extended to links with an arbitrary number of components (Corollary 3.5), after some effort is spent to prove invariance of these Gauss sum formulas under Reidemeister moves (Theorem 3.2), and invariance under changing the basepoint (Theorem 3.4). There is also some discussion of virtual links (Section 3.3). Then the author goes on to discuss patterns \(A\) where \(S(A)\) has two boundary components. He shows how to obtain Gauss sum formulas from such patterns (Theorem 4.5) and later identifies these invariants as made up of HOMFLY-PT Vassiliev invariants and a term involving coefficients of the Conway polynomial of sublinks (Theorem 5.2). This requires to suitably adapt the notion of ascending/descending. Reviewer's remark: It appears to the reviewer that the parenthetic remark on the last line of p. 248 is redundant and confusing. As the second diagram in Ex 2.15 shows, the component of \(\partial S(A)\) with the asterisk may not pass all bands. The situation is clarified later with Def 2.16. It indicates that in ascending diagrams the component of \(\partial S(A)\) with the asterisk (first component) passes each band (if twice, first) from the arrow head, and if the component of \(\partial S(A)\) with the bead (second component) passes a band twice, then also first at the arrow head (those it passes only once are forcibly passed from the tail).