Integration and conjugacy in knot theory

This thesis consists of three self-contained chapters. The first two concern quantum invariants of links and three manifolds and the third contains results on the word problem for link groups. In chapter 1 we relate the tree part of the Aarhus integral to the mu-invariants of string-links in homology balls thus generalizing results of Habegger and Masbaum. There is a folklore result in physics saying that the Feynman integration of an exponential is itself an exponential. In chapter 2 we state and prove an exact formulation of this statement in the language which is used in the theory of finite type invariants. The final chapter is concerned with properties of link groups. In particular we study the relationship between known solutions from small cancellation theory and normal surface theory for the word and conjugacy problems of the groups of (prime) alternating links. We show that two of the algorithms in the literature for solving the word problem, each using one of the two approaches, are the same. Then, by considering small cancellation methods, we give a normal surface solution to the conjugacy problem of these link groups and characterize the conjugacy classes. Finally as an application of the small cancellation properties of link groups we give a new proof that alternating links are non-trivial.Comment: University of Warwick Ph.D. thesi

A characterization of partially dual graphs

In this paper, we extend the recently introduced concept of partially dual ribbon graphs to graphs. We then go on to characterize partial duality of graphs in terms of bijections between edge sets of corresponding graphs. This result generalizes a well known result of J. Edmonds in which natural duality of graphs is characterized in terms of edge correspondence, and gives a combinatorial characterization of partial duality.Comment: V2: the statement of the main result has been changed. To appear in JGT

A permanent formula for the Jones polynomial

The permanent of a square matrix is defined in a way similar to the determinant, but without using signs. The exact computation of the permanent is hard, but there are Monte-Carlo algorithms that can estimate general permanents. Given a planar diagram of a link L with $n$ crossings, we define a 7n by 7n matrix whose permanent equals to the Jones polynomial of L. This result accompanied with recent work of Freedman, Kitaev, Larson and Wang provides a Monte-Carlo algorithm to any decision problem belonging to the class BQP, i.e. such that it can be computed with bounded error in polynomial time using quantum resources.Comment: To appear in Advances in Applied Mathematic

Separability and the genus of a partial dual

Partial duality generalizes the fundamental concept of the geometric dual of an embedded graph. A partial dual is obtained by forming the geometric dual with respect to only a subset of edges. While geometric duality preserves the genus of an embedded graph, partial duality does not. Here we are interested in the problem of determining which edge sets of an embedded graph give rise to a partial dual of a given genus. This problem turns out to be intimately connected to the separability of the embedded graph. We determine how separability is related to the genus of a partial dual. We use this to characterize partial duals of graphs embedded in the plane, and in the real projective plane, in terms of a particular type of separation of an embedded graph. These characterizations are then used to determine a local move relating all partially dual graphs in the plane and in the real projective plane

Constructing a Tutte polynomial for graphs embedded in surfaces

There are several different extensions of the Tutte polynomial to graphs embedded in surfaces. To help frame the different options, here we consider the problem of extending the Tutte polynomial to embedded graphs starting from first principles. We offer three different routes to defining such a polynomial and show that they all lead to the same polynomial. This resulting polynomial is known in the literature under a few different names including the ribbon graph polynomial, and 2-variable Bollobas-Riordan polynomial.Our overall aim here is to use this discussion as a mechanism for providing a gentle introduction to the topic of Tutte polynomials for graphs embedded in surfaces

Partial duals of plane graphs, separability and the graphs of knots

There is a well-known way to describe a link diagram as a (signed) plane graph, called its Tait graph. This concept was recently extended, providing a way to associate a set of embedded graphs (or ribbon graphs) to a link diagram. While every plane graph arises as a Tait graph of a unique link diagram, not every embedded graph represents a link diagram. Furthermore, although a Tait graph describes a unique link diagram, the same embedded graph can represent many different link diagrams. One is then led to ask which embedded graphs represent link diagrams, and how link diagrams presented by the same embedded graphs are related to one another. Here we answer these questions by characterizing the class of embedded graphs that represent link diagrams, and then using this characterization to find a move that relates all of the link diagrams that are presented by the same set of embedded graphs.Comment: v2: major change