Positive links (Q740540)

In the present paper the authors define and study \(0\)-positivity for concordance classes of links. An \(m\)-component link \(L\subset S^3\) is defined to be \(0\)-positive, or \(L\in \mathcal{P}_0\), if \(L\) is slice in a smooth, simply connected 4-manifold \(V\) such that the intersection form on \(H_2(V)\) is positive definite. Let \(L, L' \subset S^3\) be oriented \(m\)-component links. The authors define that \(L\geq_0 L'\) if \(L\) is concordant to \(L'\) in a smooth, simply-connected 4-manifold \(V\) such that the intersection form on \(H_2(V)\) is positive definite. A fusion band in a link \(L\) is a band that intersects two different components of \(L\), and a fusion of \(L\) is a link obtained from \(L\) by doing a succession of band moves along fusion bands. It is proved that if \(L\) is a fusion of a boundary link, then there are totally split links \(L_1\), \(L_2\), such that \(L_1\geq_0 L \geq_0 L_2\). As a corollary, it is shown that if \(M\) is an integral homology sphere, then \(M\) is cobordant to a connected sum of homology spheres \(M_1,M_2,\dots,M_k\) via a positive-definite unimodular cobordism \(W\), with \(H_1(W)=0\), where each \(M_i\) is \((\pm 1)\)-surgery on a knot \(K_i\subset S^3\). Obstructions are given for a link to be \(\geq_0\) a totally split link, by using Milnor's invariants. Obstructions for a link to be in \(\mathcal{P}_0\) are found from the Levine-Tristam signature function and the generalized Sato-Levine invariants. A characterization is given of links that are slice in a connected sum of \(\mathbb{C}P(2)\)'s. It is proved that \(L\) is slice in a punctured \(\#_k \mathbb{C}P(2)\) if and only if, it is concordant to a fusion of \(k\) null generalized Hopf links (a class of links obtained from copies of fibers in the Hopf fibration of \(S^3\)), if and only if, it is concordant to a link \(L'\) which is obtained from a ribbon link by adding \(k\) positive generalized crossings (an operation consisting in twisting along an unknotted component). Further, the Conway polynomials of two-component links that are slice in a punctured \(\mathbb{C}P(2)\) are studied.