Corrected HZ factorisability conjecture for knots of braid index at least four

Let K\mathcal{K} be a knot with braid index at least mm, where m4m\geq4. Let H(K)H(\mathcal{K}) be its HOMFLY–PT polynomial, let KF^(K)\widehat{KF}(\mathcal{K}) be the transformed Kauffman polynomial, and let Z(K)Z(\mathcal{K}) be the HZ transform of H(K)H(\mathcal{K}). The transform is factorisable when

Z(K)=λi=0m2(1λqαi)i=0m(1λqβi).Z(\mathcal{K})=\frac{\lambda\prod_{i=0}^{m-2}(1-\lambda q^{\alpha_i})}{\prod_{i=0}^{m}(1-\lambda q^{\beta_i})}.

Corrected HZ factorisability conjecture. If the HOMFLY–PT/Kauffman relation holds, then the HZ transform is factorisable:

H(K)=KF^(K)    Z(K)=λi=0m2(1λqαi)i=0m(1λqβi).H(\mathcal{K})=\widehat{KF}(\mathcal{K})\implies Z(\mathcal{K})=\frac{\lambda\prod_{i=0}^{m-2}(1-\lambda q^{\alpha_i})}{\prod_{i=0}^{m}(1-\lambda q^{\beta_i})}.

This is proposed after the converse implication was disproved by 4-strand counterexamples; the paper expects the corrected one-way statement to hold for general m4m\geq4.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Andreani Petrou and Shinobu Hikami, “A relation between the HOMFLY-PT and Kauffman polynomials via characters”, arXiv:2603.03628 (2026).

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