Mutant knots with symmetry

Mutant knots, in the sense of Conway, are known to share the same Homfly polynomial. Their 2-string satellites also share the same Homfly polynomial, but in general their m-string satellites can have different Homfly polynomials for m>2. We show that, under conditions of extra symmetry on the constituent 2-tangles, the directed m-string satellites of mutants share the same Homfly polynomial for m<6 in general, and for all choices of m when the satellite is based on a cable knot pattern. We give examples of mutants with extra symmetry whose Homfly polynomials of some 6-string satellites are different, by comparing their quantum sl(3) invariants.Comment: 15 page

The Burau matrix and Fiedler's invariant for a closed braid

It is shown how Fiedler's `small state-sum' invariant for a braid can be calculated from the 2-variable Alexander polynomial of the link which consists of the closed braid together with the braid axis.Comment: 7 pages LaTeX2e. To appear in Topology and its Application

Mutual braiding and the band presentation of braid groups

This paper is concerned with detecting when a closed braid and its axis are 'mutually braided' in the sense of Rudolph. It deals with closed braids which are fibred links, the simplest case being closed braids which present the unknot. The geometric condition for mutual braiding refers to the existence of a close control on the way in which the whole family of fibre surfaces meet the family of discs spanning the braid axis. We show how such a braid can be presented naturally as a word in the `band generators' of the braid group discussed by Birman, Ko and Lee in their recent account of the band presentation of the braid groups. In this context we are able to convert the conditions for mutual braiding into the existence of a suitable sequence of band relations and other moves on the braid word, and derive a combinatorial method for deciding whether a braid is mutually braided.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures. To appear in the proceedings of 'Knots in Hellas 98

Complete Separability and Fourier representations of n-qubit states

Necessary conditions for separability are most easily expressed in the computational basis, while sufficient conditions are most conveniently expressed in the spin basis. We use the Hadamard matrix to define the relationship between these two bases and to emphasize its interpretation as a Fourier transform. We then prove a general sufficient condition for complete separability in terms of the spin coefficients and give necessary and sufficient conditions for the complete separability of a class of generalized Werner densities. As a further application of the theory, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for full separability for a particular set of $n$-qubit states whose densities all satisfy the Peres condition