Multivariate Alexander colorings

Abstract: We extend the notion of link colorings with values in an Alexander quandle to link colorings with values in a module

M

over the Laurent polynomial ring

L a m b d a_{m u} = m a t h b b Z [t_{1}^{p m 1}, d o t s, t_{m u}^{p m 1}]

. If

D

is a diagram of a link

L

with

m u

components, then the colorings of

D

with values in

M

form a

L a m b d a_{m u}

-module

m a t h r m {C o l o r}_{A} (D, M)

. Extending a result of Inoue [Kodai Math. J. 33 (2010), 116-122], we show that

m a t h r m {C o l o r}_{A} (D, M)

is isomorphic to the module of

L a m b d a_{m u}

-linear maps from the Alexander module of

L

to

M

. In particular, suppose

M

is a field and

v a r p h i : L a m b d a_{m u} o M

is a homomorphism of rings with unity. Then

v a r p h i

defines a

L a m b d a_{m u}

-module structure on

M

, which we denote

M_{v} a r p h i

. We show that the dimension of

m a t h r m {C o l o r}_{A} (D, M_{v} a r p h i)

as a vector space over

M

is determined by the images under

v a r p h i

of the elementary ideals of

L

. This result applies in the special case of Fox tricolorings, which correspond to

M = G F (3)

and

v a r p h i (t_{i}) e q u i v - 1

. Examples show that even in this special case, the higher Alexander polynomials do not suffice to determine

| m a t h r m {C o l o r}_{A} (D, M_{v} a r p h i) |

; this observation corrects erroneous statements of Inoue [J. Knot Theory Ramifications 10 (2001), 813-821; op. cit.].

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