Matrix factorizations and link homology II

To a presentation of an oriented link as the closure of a braid we assign a complex of bigraded vector spaces. The Euler characteristic of this complex (and of its triply-graded cohomology groups) is the HOMFLYPT polynomial of the link. We show that the dimension of each cohomology group is a link invariant.Comment: 37 pages, 20 figures; version 2 corrects an inaccuracy in the proof of Proposition

The universal Khovanov link homology theory

We determine the algebraic structure underlying the geometric complex associated to a link in Bar-Natan's geometric formalism of Khovanov's link homology theory (n=2). We find an isomorphism of complexes which reduces the complex to one in a simpler category. This reduction enables us to specify exactly the amount of information held within the geometric complex and thus state precisely its universality properties for link homology theories. We also determine its strength as a link invariant relative to the different topological quantum field theories (TQFTs) used to create link homology. We identify the most general (universal) TQFT that can be used to create link homology and find that it is "smaller" than the TQFT previously reported by Khovanov as the universal link homology theory. We give a new method of extracting all other link homology theories (including Khovanov's universal TQFT) directly from the universal geometric complex, along with new homology theories that hold a controlled amount of information. We achieve these goals by making a classification of surfaces (with boundaries) modulo the 4TU/S/T relations, a process involving the introduction of genus generating operators. These operators enable us to explore the relation between the geometric complex and its algebraic structure.Comment: This is the version published by Algebraic & Geometric Topology on 1 November 200

Categorifications of the colored Jones polynomial

The colored Jones polynomial of links has two natural normalizations: one in which the n-colored unknot evaluates to [n+1], the quantum dimension of the (n+1)-dimensional irreducible representation of quantum sl(2), and the other in which it evaluates to 1. For each normalization we construct a bigraded cohomology theory of links with the colored Jones polynomial as the Euler characteristic.Comment: 23 pages, latex, 16 eps figure

Crossingless matchings and the cohomology of (n,n) Springer varieties

The sequence of rings $H^n, n\ge 0,$ introduced in math.QA/0103190, controls categorification of the quantum sl(2) invariant of tangles. We prove that the center of $H^n$ is isomorphic to the cohomology ring of the (n,n) Springer variety and show that the braid group action in the derived category of $H^n$-modules descends to the Springer action of the symmetric group.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

An invariant of tangle cobordisms

We prove that the construction of our previous paper math.QA/0103190 yields an invariant of tangle cobordisms.Comment: latex, 18 pages, 9 eps figure