Volume Conjecture For Knots

The volume conjecture states that a certain limit of the colored Jones polynomial of a knot in the three-dimensional sphere would give the volume of the knot complement. Here the colored Jones polynomial is a generalization of the celebrated Jones polynomial and is defined by using a so-called R-matrix that is associated with the N-dimensional representation of the Lie algebra sl(2;C). The volume conjecture was first stated by R. Kashaev in terms of his own invariant defined by using the quantum dilogarithm. Later H. Murakami and J. Murakami proved that Kashaev’s invariant is nothing but the N-dimensional colored Jones polynomial evaluated at the Nth root of unity. Then the volume conjecture turns out to be a conjecture that relates an algebraic object, the colored Jones polynomial, with a geometric object, the volume. In this book we start with the definition of the colored Jones polynomial by using braid presentations of knots. Then we state the volume conjecture and give a very elementary proof of the conjecture for the figure-eight knot following T. Ekholm. We then give a rough idea of the “proof”, that is, we show why we think the conjecture is true at least in the case of hyperbolic knots by showing how the summation formula for the colored Jones polynomial “looks like” the hyperbolicity equations of the knot complement. We also describe a generalization of the volume conjecture that corresponds to a deformation of the complete hyperbolic structure of a knot complement. This generalization would relate the colored Jones polynomial of a knot to the volume and the Chern–Simons invariant of a certain representation of the fundamental group of the knot complement to the Lie group SL(2;C). We finish by mentioning further generalizations of the volume conjecture.

This volume of the CRM Conference Series is based on a carefully refereed selection of contributions presented at the "11th International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries", held in Montreal, Canada from July 1-5, 2019. The main objective of the meeting was to share and make accessible new research and recent results in several branches of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, including Algebraic Methods, Condensed Matter Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation, Integrability, Non-perturbative Quantum Field Theory, Particle Physics, Quantum Computing and Quantum Information Theory, and String/ADS-CFT. There was also a special session in honour of Decio Levi. The volume is divided into sections corresponding to the sessions held during the symposium, allowing the reader to appreciate both the homogeneity and the diversity of mathematical tools that have been applied in these subject areas. Several of the plenary speakers, who are internationally recognized experts in their fields, have contributed reviews of the main topics to complement the original contributions. .

There is a sympathy of ideas among the fields of knot theory, infinite discrete group theory, and the topology of 3-manifolds. This book contains fifteen papers in which new results are proved in all three of these fields. These papers are dedicated to the memory of Ralph H. Fox, one of the world's leading topologists, by colleagues, former students, and friends. In knot theory, papers have been contributed by Goldsmith, Levine, Lomonaco, Perko, Trotter, and Whitten. Of these several are devoted to the study of branched covering spaces over knots and links, while others utilize the braid groups of Artin. Cossey and Smythe, Stallings, and Strasser address themselves to group theory. In his contribution Stallings describes the calculation of the groups In/In+1 where I is the augmentation ideal in a group ring RG. As a consequence, one has for each k an example of a k-generator l-relator group with no free homomorphs. In the third part, papers by Birman, Cappell, Milnor, Montesinos, Papakyriakopoulos, and Shalen comprise the treatment of 3-manifolds. Milnor gives, besides important new results, an exposition of certain aspects of our current knowledge regarding the 3- dimensional Brieskorn manifolds.

Knots are familiar objects. Yet the mathematical theory of knots quickly leads to deep results in topology and geometry. This work offers an introduction to this theory, starting with our understanding of knots. It presents the applications of knot theory to modern chemistry, biology and physics.

This exploration of combinatorics and knot theory is geared toward advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The author, Louis H. Kauffman, is a professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Kauffman draws upon his work as a topologist to illustrate the relationships between knot theory and statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and algebra, as well as the role of knot theory in combinatorics. Featured topics include state, trails, and the clock theorem; state polynomials and the duality conjecture; knots and links; axiomatic link calculations; spanning surfaces; the genus of alternative links; and ribbon knots and the Arf invariant. Key concepts are related in easy-to-remember terms, and numerous helpful diagrams appear throughout the text. The author has provided a new supplement, entitled "Remarks on Formal Knot Theory," as well as his article, "New Invariants in the Theory of Knots," first published in The American Mathematical Monthly, March 1988.

This volume deals systematically with connections between algebraic number theory and low-dimensional topology. Of particular note are various inspiring interactions between number theory and low-dimensional topology discussed in most papers in this volume. For example, quite interesting are the use of arithmetic methods in knot theory and the use of topological methods in Galois theory. Also, expository papers in both number theory and topology included in the volume can help a wide group of readers to understand both fields as well as the interesting analogies and relations that bring them together.

This book provides an introduction to hyperbolic geometry in dimension three, with motivation and applications arising from knot theory. Hyperbolic geometry was first used as a tool to study knots by Riley and then Thurston in the 1970s. By the 1980s, combining work of Mostow and Prasad with Gordon and Luecke, it was known that a hyperbolic structure on a knot complement in the 3-sphere gives a complete knot invariant. However, it remains a difficult problem to relate the hyperbolic geometry of a knot to other invariants arising from knot theory. In particular, it is difficult to determine hyperbolic geometric information from a knot diagram, which is classically used to describe a knot. This textbook provides background on these problems, and tools to determine hyperbolic information on knots. It also includes results and state-of-the art techniques on hyperbolic geometry and knot theory to date. The book was written to be interactive, with many examples and exercises. Some important results are left to guided exercises. The level is appropriate for graduate students with a basic background in algebraic topology, particularly fundamental groups and covering spaces. Some experience with some differential topology and Riemannian geometry will also be helpful.

This proceedings volume presents a diverse collection of high-quality, state-of-the-art research and survey articles written by top experts in low-dimensional topology and its applications. The focal topics include the wide range of historical and contemporary invariants of knots and links and related topics such as three- and four-dimensional manifolds, braids, virtual knot theory, quantum invariants, braids, skein modules and knot algebras, link homology, quandles and their homology; hyperbolic knots and geometric structures of three-dimensional manifolds; the mechanism of topological surgery in physical processes, knots in Nature in the sense of physical knots with applications to polymers, DNA enzyme mechanisms, and protein structure and function. The contents is based on contributions presented at the International Conference on Knots, Low-Dimensional Topology and Applications – Knots in Hellas 2016, which was held at the International Olympic Academy in Greece in July 2016. The goal of the international conference was to promote the exchange of methods and ideas across disciplines and generations, from graduate students to senior researchers, and to explore fundamental research problems in the broad fields of knot theory and low-dimensional topology. This book will benefit all researchers who wish to take their research in new directions, to learn about new tools and methods, and to discover relevant and recent literature for future study.