arXiv research

The involutory birack counting invariant is an integer-valued invariant of unoriented tangles defined by counting homomorphisms from the fundamental involutory birack of the tangle to a finite involutory birack over a set of framings modulo the birack rank of the labeling birack. In this first of an anticipated series …

Birack modules are modules over an algebra Z[X] associated to a finite birack X. In previous work, birack module structures on Z mod n were used to enhance the birack counting invariant. In this paper, we use birack modules over Laurent polynomial rings Z_n[q,1/q] to enhance the birack counting invariant, defining a cu…

We identify a subcategory of biracks which define counting invariants of unoriented links, which we call involutory biracks. In particular, involutory biracks of birack rank N=1 are biquandles, which we call bikei. We define counting invariants of unoriented classical and virtual links using finite involutory biracks, …

We extend the rack algebra Z[X] defined by Andruskiewitsch and Grana to the case of biracks, enabling a notion of birack modules. We use these birack modules to define an enhancement of the birack counting invariant generalizing the birack module counting invariant in [8]. We provide examples demonstrating that the enh…

Biracks are algebraic structures related to knots and links. We define a new enhancement of the birack counting invariant for oriented classical and virtual knots and links via algebraic structures called birack dynamical cocycles. The new invariants can also be understood in terms of partitions of the set of birack la…

A birack is an algebraic structure with axioms encoding the blackboard-framed Reidemeister moves, incorporating quandles, racks, strong biquandles and semiquandles as special cases. In this paper we extend the counting invariant for finite racks to the case of finite biracks. We introduce a family of biracks generalizi…

New polynomial invariants derived from birack and switch structures.

We introduce augmented biracks and define a (co)homology theory associated to augmented biracks. The new homology theory extends the previously studied Yang-Baxter homology with a combinatorial formulation for the boundary map and specializes to $N$-reduced rack homology when the birack is a rack. We introduce augmente…

New invariants defined for framed knots and links.

Polynomial invariant derived from birack labelling of knots.

We consider involutory virtual biracks with good involutions, also known as symmetric involutory virtual biracks. Any good involution on an involutory virtual birack defines an enhancement of the counting invariant. We provide examples demonstrating that the enhancement is stronger than the unenhanced counting invarian…

We introduce an associative algebra Z[X,S] associated to a birack shadow and define enhancements of the birack counting invariant for classical knots and links via representations of Z[X,S] known as shadow modules. We provide examples which demonstrate that the shadow module enhanced invariants are not determined by th…

The column group is a subgroup of the symmetric group on the elements of a finite blackboard birack generated by the column permutations in the birack matrix. We use subgroups of the column group associated to birack homomorphisms to define an enhancement of the integral birack counting invariant and give examples whic…

A virtual link can be understood as a link in a trivial I-bundle over an orientable compact surface with genus. A twisted virtual link is a link in a trivial I-bundle over a not-necessarily orientable compact surface. A twisted virtual birack is an algebraic structure with axioms derived from the twisted virtual Reidem…

Proposes a new notation for biracks to simplify rack structure analysis.

We introduce an algebra Z[X,S] associated to a pair (X,S) of a virtual birack X and X-shadow S. We use modules over Z[X,S] to define enhancements of the virtual birack shadow counting invariant, extending the birack shadow module invariants to virtual case. We repeat this construction for the twisted virtual case. As a…

The classical trefoil is famous for having a three-colouring which distinguishes it from the unknot. The three-colouring is also notorious for not distinguishing the right handed from the left handed trefoil. However with a bit of tweaking the three colours can also be used for this task. What lies behind the method is…

In this paper we give the results of a computer search for biracks of small size and we give various interpretations of these findings. The list includes biquandles, racks and quandles together with new invariants of welded knots and examples of welded knots which are shown to be non-trivial by the new invariants. Thes…

We show that representations of the loop braid group arise from Aharonov-Bohm like effects in finite 2-group (3+1)-dimensional topological higher gauge theory. For this we introduce a minimal categorification of biracks, which we call W-bikoids (welded bikoids). Our main example of W-bikoids arises from finite 2-groups…

Biracks and biquandles, which are useful for studying the knot theory, are special families of solutions of the set-theoretic Yang-Baxter equation. A homology theory for the set-theoretic Yang-Baxter equation was developed by Carter, Elhamdadi, and Saito in order to construct knot invariants. In this paper, we construc…

In this paper we give the results of a computer search for biracks of small size and we give various interpretations of these findings. The list includes biquandles, racks and quandles together with new invariants of welded knots and examples of welded knots which are shown to be non-trivial by the new invariants. Thes…