Skein Modules from Skew Howe Duality and Affine Extensions

We show that we can release the rigidity of the skew Howe duality process for ${\mathfrak sl}_n$ knot invariants by rescaling the quantum Weyl group action, and recover skein modules for web-tangles. This skew Howe duality phenomenon can be extended to the affine ${\mathfrak sl}_m$ case, corresponding to looking at tangles embedded in a solid torus. We investigate the relations between the invariants constructed by evaluation representations (and affinization of them) and usual skein modules, and give tools for interpretations of annular skein modules as sub-algebras of intertwiners for particular $U_q({\mathfrak sl}_n)$ representations. The categorification proposed in a joint work with A. Lauda and D. Rose also admits a direct extension in the affine case

Chebyshev polynomials and the Frohman-Gelca formula

Using Chebyshev polynomials, C. Frohman and R. Gelca introduce a basis of the Kauffman bracket skein module of the torus. This basis is especially useful because the Jones-Kauffman product can be described via a very simple Product-to-Sum formula. Presented in this work is a diagrammatic proof of this formula, which emphasizes and demystifies the role played by Chebyshev polynomials.Comment: 13 page

Gl2 Foam Functoriality and Skein Positivity

We prove full functoriality of Khovanov homology for tangled framed gl2 webs. We use this functoriality result to prove a strong positivity result for (orientable) surface skein algebras. The argument goes categorical and consists in proving that so-called linear complexes are stable under superposition.Comment: 71 pages. Preliminary version, comments welcome