The disk-potential deformation conjecture for knot augmentations

Let KK be a knot. For every Reeb chord αij\alpha_{ij} connecting points ξi\xi_i and ηj\eta_j, let αij(t,p)\alpha_{ij}(t,p) be a function, and write ϵ={αij(t,p)}\epsilon=\{\alpha_{ij}(t,p)\} for the resulting collection. Let UK0,ϵ(t,p)U_{K}^{0,\epsilon}(t,p) denote the disk potential obtained by counting generalized disks with boundary on MKM_K and negative punctures at these Reeb chords, weighting each negative puncture asymptotic to αij\alpha_{ij} by αij(t,p)\alpha_{ij}(t,p). Set

x=UK0,ϵp.x=\frac{\partial U_{K}^{0,\epsilon}}{\partial p}.

Disk-potential deformation conjecture. For any knot KK, there is a collection of functions ϵ={αij(t,p)}\epsilon=\{\alpha_{ij}(t,p)\} such that UK0,ϵ(p,t)U_{K}^{0,\epsilon}(p,t) is invariant under deformations, and the equation defined by xx cuts out a branch of the augmentation variety. Moreover,

limt0exp(tUK0,ϵ(p,t))=(1ep)1ΔK(ep).\lim_{t\to 0}\exp\left(\partial_tU_{K}^{0,\epsilon}(p,t)\right)=(1-e^p)^{-1}\Delta_K(e^p).

This conjecture proposes that the Alexander polynomial of an arbitrary knot is recovered from a deformation of the disk potential incorporating negative punctures at Reeb chords. The invariance and augmentation-variety statement, as well as the required deformation and its limiting behavior, are not established in the supplied text.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Luís Diogo and Tobias Ekholm, “Augmentations, annuli, and Alexander polynomials”, arXiv:2005.09733 (2024).

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