2022/07/02 by Dheeraj Kulkarni, Monika Yadav, Kulkarni, Dheeraj +1
Mathematics · #57K10 #57K14 #57K33 #FOS: Mathematics #Geometric Topology (math.GT) #Geometric and Algebraic Topology #Homotopy and Cohomology in Algebraic Topology #Symplectic Geometry (math.SG)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2207.00777
openalex publication_date 2022/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this article, we explore a polynomial invariant for Legendrian knots which is a natural extension of Jones polynomial for (topological) knots. To this end, a new type of skein relation is introduced for the front projections of Legendrian knots. Further, we give a categorification of the polynomial invariant for Legendrian knots which is a natural extension of Khovanov homology for knots. The Thurston-Bennequin invariant of Legendrian knot appears naturally in the construction of the homology as the grade-shift. The constructions of the polynomial invariant and its categorification are natural in the sense that if we treat Legendrian knots as only knots (that is, we forget the geometry on the knots), then we recover the Jones polynomial and Khovanov homology respectively. In the end, we discuss strengths and limitations of these invariants.