Vassiliev invariants of type one for links in the solid torus (Q712202)

By a link in a solid torus we mean a finite ordered collection of oriented knots in a solid torus that do not intersect each other. Two links are equivalent if they are ambient isotopic in the solid torus, or in other words, they have diagrams in an annulus which are related by a sequence of Reidemeister moves. A function \(\nu\) defined on the set of link isotopy classes and taking values in an abelian group \(G\) is said to be a finite-type invariant of degree \(\leq n\), if for any link diagram \(D\) and \(n+1\) disjoint sets (some may be empty) of crossings \(s_1\), \(s_2\), \(\dots\), \(s_{n+1}\) of \(D\), \(\Sigma_{\sigma} (-1)^{| \sigma |}\nu (D_{\sigma})=0\), where \(\sigma=\{ \sigma_1,\dots,\sigma_{n+1}\}\) runs over \((n+1)\)-tuples of zeroes and ones, \(| \sigma |\) is the number of ones in \(\sigma\), and \(D_{\sigma}\) is the diagram obtained from \(D\) by switching all crossings in \(s_i\) with \(\sigma_i=1\). \textit{F. Aicardi} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 321, No.~1, 81--86 (1995; Zbl 0835.57004)] defined a type one invariant for knots in a solid torus, which is a certain Laurent polynomial. \textit{K. Bataineh} [Finite type invariants for knots in the solid torus, Ph.D. thesis, New Mexico State University (2003)] showed that Aicardi's invariant is the universal type one invariant for knots in a solid torus, that is, if this invariant fails to distinguish two knots, then any other type one invariant will fail, too. In the paper under review, Aicardi's invariant is generalized for \(n\)-component links in a solid torus, and it is shown that this is the universal type one invariant for links in a solid torus. For links where each component has winding number zero in the solid torus, it is shown that the generalized invariant is equal to a certain invariant defined using the universal cover of the solid torus. The wrap number of a link is the minimal number of intersections of links in its isotopy class with a meridian of the solid torus. It is shown that if \(L\) is a link with each component having winding number zero, then wrap\((L)\) is bounded below by a certain type one invariant.