Square numbers and polynomial invariants of achiral knots (Q996015)

It is known that achiral knots (i.e knots equivalent to their mirror images) have self-conjugate Alexander, skein and Kauffman polynomials. In this paper, the author considers special properties of the leading coefficient of the Alexander polynomial \(\Delta\) of several large classes of achiral knots and discusses a partial generalization of these properties to the skein polynomial. He essentially proves that the leading coefficients \(\max cf \Delta\) of the Alexander polynomial of alternating achiral knots and strongly negatively achiral knots are perfect squares.