Alexander quandle lower bounds for link genera

DOI10.1142/S0218216512500769zbMATH Open1255.57003arXiv1104.4018OpenAlexW2125531301MaRDI QIDQ2885407FDOQ2885407

Authors: R. Benedetti, Roberto Frigerio 

Publication date: 23 May 2012

Published in: Journal of Knot Theory and its Ramifications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We denote by Q_F the family of the Alexander quandle structures supported by finite fields. For every k-component oriented link L, every partition P of L into h:=|P| sublinks, and every labelling z of such a partition by the natural numbers z_1,...,z_n, the number of X-colorings of any diagram of (L,z) is a well-defined invariant of (L,P), of the form q^(a_X(L,P,z)+1) for some natural number a_X(L,P,z). Letting X and z vary in Q_F and among the labellings of P, we define a derived invariant A_Q(L,P)=sup a_X(L,P,z). If P_M is such that |P_M|=k, we show that A_Q(L,P_M) is a lower bound for t(L), where t(L) is the tunnel number of L. If P is a "boundary partition" of L and g(L,P) denotes the infimum among the sums of the genera of a system of disjoint Seifert surfaces for the L_j's, then we show that A_Q(L,P) is at most 2g(L,P)+2k-|P|-1. We set A_Q(L):=A_Q(L,P_m), where |P_m|=1. By elaborating on a suitable version of a result by Inoue, we show that when L=K is a knot then A_Q(K) is bounded above by A(K), where A(K) is the breadth of the Alexander polynomial of K. However, for every g we exhibit examples of genus-g knots having the same Alexander polynomial but different quandle invariants A_Q. Moreover, in such examples A_Q provides sharp lower bounds for the genera of the knots. On the other hand, A_Q(L) can give better lower bounds on the genus than A(L), when L has at least two components. We show that in order to compute A_Q(L) it is enough to consider only colorings with respect to the constant labelling z=1. In the case when L=K is a knot, if either A_Q(K)=A(K) or A_Q(K) provides a sharp lower bound for the knot genus, or if A_Q(K)=1, then A_Q(K) can be realized by means of the proper subfamily of quandles X=(F_p,*), where p varies among the odd prime numbers.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.4018

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zbMATH Keywords

genustunnel numberAlexander quandleAlexander idealsquandle colorings

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Cites Work

• A classifying invariant of knots, the knot quandle
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• On knots with trivial Alexander polynomial
• Moves and invariants for knotted handlebodies
• A characterization of knot polynomials
• QUANDLE HOMOMORPHISMS OF KNOT QUANDLES TO ALEXANDER QUANDLES
• Alexander ideals of links
• On Heegaard decompositions of torus knot exteriors and related Seifert fibre spaces
• Alexander ideals of classical knots

Cited In (2)

• Multivariate Alexander quandles. III. Sublinks
• Quandle colorings of knots and applications

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