Kauffman-Jones polynomial of a curve on a surface

Abstract: We introduce a Kauffman-Jones type polynomial

m a t h c a l L_{g a m m a} (A)

for a curve

g a m m a

on an oriented surface, whose endpoints are on the boundary of the surface. The polynomial

m a t h c a l L_{g a m m a} (A)

is a Laurent polynomial in one variable

A

and is an invariant of the homotopy class of

g a m m a

. As an application, we obtain an estimate in terms of the span of

m a t h c a l L_{g a m m a} (A)

for the minimum self-intersection number of a curve within its homotopy class. We then give a chord diagrammatic description of

m a t h c a l L_{g a m m a} (A)

and show some computational results on the span of

m a t h c a l L_{g a m m a} (A)

.

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