A Lagrangian representation of tangles (Q556229)

The authors generalize the classical Burau representation of braid groups to tangles. The Burau representation is a homomorphism from the group of braids on \(n\) strands to the group of \((n \times n)\)-matrices over the ring \(\mathbb{Z}[t,t^{-1}]\), where \(n\) is a positive integer. This was generalized by a construction of \textit{J. Y. Le Dimet} [Comment. Math. Helv. 67, No. 2, 306--315 (1992; Zbl 0759.57010)], where so-called string links are considered. String links are tangles whose components are intervals going from the bottom to the top but not necessarily monotonically (and thus they generalize \(n\)-string braids). The string links on \(n\) strands form a monoid with respect to the usual composition of tangles. The generalization discussed here extends the work of Le Dimet to \(n\)-string oriented tangles. \(n\)-string oriented tangles do not form a group or a monoid under composition, but rather a category. The authors construct a functor from the category of oriented tangles in \(\mathbb R^3\) to the category of Hermitian modules and Lagrangian relations over \(\mathbb{Z}[t,t^{-1}]\). In the case of braids and string links, this functor is equivalent to the homomorphisms of Burau and Le Dimet. In addition a multivariable generalization of the theory as well as a high-dimensional version of the theory are outlined.