5 research outputs found

    Chern-Simons Invariants of Torus Links

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    We compute the vacuum expectation values of torus knot operators in Chern-Simons theory, and we obtain explicit formulae for all classical gauge groups and for arbitrary representations. We reproduce a known formula for the HOMFLY invariants of torus links and we obtain an analogous formula for Kauffman invariants. We also derive a formula for cable knots. We use our results to test a recently proposed conjecture that relates HOMFLY and Kauffman invariants.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures; v2: minor changes, version submitted to AHP. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/a2614232873l76h6

    String theory and the Kauffman polynomial

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    We propose a new, precise integrality conjecture for the colored Kauffman polynomial of knots and links inspired by large N dualities and the structure of topological string theory on orientifolds. According to this conjecture, the natural knot invariant in an unoriented theory involves both the colored Kauffman polynomial and the colored HOMFLY polynomial for composite representations, i.e. it involves the full HOMFLY skein of the annulus. The conjecture sheds new light on the relationship between the Kauffman and the HOMFLY polynomials, and it implies for example Rudolph's theorem. We provide various non-trivial tests of the conjecture and we sketch the string theory arguments that lead to it.Comment: 36 pages, many figures; references and examples added, typos corrected, final version to appear in CM
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