arXiv research

The theory of rack and quandle modules is developed - in particular a tensor product is defined, and shown to satisfy an appropriate adjointness condition. Notions of free rack and quandle modules are introduced, and used to define an enveloping object (the `rack algebra' or `wring') for a given rack or quandle. These …

We give a foundational account on topological racks and quandles. Specifically, we define the notions of ideals, kernels, units, and inner automorphism group in the context of topological racks. Further, we investigate topological rack modules and principal rack bundles. Central extensions of topological racks are then…

Classifies good involutions in conjugation subquandles and racks.

We study rack polynomials and the link invariants they define. We show that constant action racks are classified by their generalized rack polynomials and show that $ns^at^a$-quandles are not classified by their generalized quandle polynomials. We use subrack polynomials to define enhanced rack counting invariants, gen…

The study enumerates virtual quandles up to isomorphism.

The homology and cohomology of quandles and racks are used in knot theory: given a finite quandle and a cocycle, we can construct a knot invariant. This is a quick introductory survey to the invariants of knots derived from quandles and racks.

Study homotopy types of free racks and quandles, proving analogs of Milnor's theorem.

We define ambient isotopy invariants of oriented knots and links using the counting invariants of framed links defined by finite racks. These invariants reduce to the usual quandle counting invariant when the rack in question is a quandle. We are able to further enhance these counting invariants with 2-cocycles from th…

In 1993, Fenn, Rourke and Sanderson introduced rack spaces and rack homotopy invariants, and modifications to quandle spaces and quandle homotopy invariants were introduced by Nosaka in 2011. In this paper, we define the Cayley-type graph and the extended quandle space of a quandle in analogy to rack and quandle spaces…

This short survey contains some recent developments of the algebraic theory of racks and quandles. We report on some elements of representation theory of quandles and ring theoretic approach to quandles.

In this paper we describe methods for computing rack and quandle cohomology. We illustrate these methods by completely determining the cohomology of prime dihedral quandles.

Second part of a series on higher coverings of racks and quandles.

This paper extends rack and quandle covering theory using higher categorical Galois theory.

The paper introduces a new coloring invariant for spatial surfaces using a multiple group rack.

This paper develops graph theory for racks and quasigroups.

New definitions of rack and quandle modules are introduced, and shown to generalise the definitions previously studied by Andruskiewitsch, Etingof and Grana. This new construct is shown to coincide with Beck's general definition of a module in an arbitrary category. A theory of Abelian extensions of racks and quandles …

We define a new class of racks, called finitely stable racks, which, to some extent, share various flavors with Abelian groups. Characterization of finitely stable Alexander quandles is established. Further, we study twisted rack dynamical systems, construct their cross-products, and introduce representation theory of …

This paper has partially a novel and partially a survey character. We start with a short review of rack (two term) homology of self distributive algebraic structures (shelves) and their connections to knot theory. We concentrate on a sub-family of quandles satisfying the graphic axiom. For a large family of graphic qua…

Study of generalized Legendrian racks and their GL-structures.

We show that the lower bounds for Betti numbers given in math.GT/9909161 are equalities for a class of racks that includes dihedral and Alexander racks. We confirm a conjecture from the same paper by defining a splitting for the short exact sequence of quandle chain complexes. We define isomorphisms between Alexander r…

It is a classical result in reduced homology of finite groups that the order of a group annihilates its homology. Similarly, we have proved that the torsion subgroup of rack and quandle homology of a finite quasigroup quandle is annihilated by its order. However, it does not hold for connected quandles in general. In t…

We define an invariant of tangles and framed tangles given a finite crossed module and a pair of functions, called a Reidemeister pair, satisfying natural properties. We give several examples of Reidemeister pairs derived from racks, quandles, rack and quandle cocycles, 2-crossed modules and braided crossed modules. We…

We revisit finite racks and quandles using a perspective based on permutations which can aid in the understanding of the structure. As a consequence we recover old results and prove new ones. We also present and analyze several examples.

A rack of order $n$ is a binary operation $\rack$ on a set $X$ of cardinality $n$, such that right multiplication is an automorphism. More precisely, $(X,\rack)$ is a rack provided that the map $x\mapsto x\rack y$ is a bijection for all $y\in X$, and $(x\rack y)\rack z=(x\rack z)\rack (y\rack z)$ for all $x,y,z\in X$. …

We classify indecomposable racks of order p^2 (p a prime). There are 2p^2 - 2p - 2 isomorphism classes, among which 2p^2 - 3p - 1 correspond to quandles. In particular, we prove that an indecomposable quandle of order p^2 is affine (=Alexander). One of the results yielding this classification is the computation of the …

We define an invariant of tangles and framed tangles given a finite crossed module and a pair of functions, called a Reidemeister pair, satisfying natural properties. We give several examples of Reidemeister pairs derived from racks, quandles, rack and quandle cocycles, and central extensions of groups. We prove that o…

This paper investigates Lie Quandles and Leibniz Racks, extending Noether's first theorem.

Quandle homology was defined from rack homology as the quotient by a subcomplex corresponding to the idempotency, for invariance under the type I Reidemeister move. Similar subcomplexes have been considered for various identities of racks and moves on diagrams. We observe common aspects of these identities and subcompl…

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…

Racks and quandles are rich algebraic structures that are strong enough to classify knots. Here we develop several fundamental categorical aspects of the theories of racks and quandles and their relation to the theory of permutations. In particular, we compute the centers of the categories and describe power operations…

In this article, we introduce rack invariants of oriented Legendrian knots in the 3-dimensional Euclidean space endowed with the standard contact structure, which we call Legendrian racks. These invariants form a generalization of the quandle invariants of knots. These rack invariants do not result in a complete invari…

New rack and multiple group rack cohomology for surfaces in 3-sphere.

Racks do not give us invariants of surface-knots in general. For example, if a surface-knot diagram has branch points (and a rack which we use satisfies some mild condition), then it admits no rack colorings. In this paper, we investigate rack colorings for surface-knot diagrams without branch points and prove that rac…

Using the classification of transitive groups we classify indecomposable quandles of size <36. This classification is available in Rig, a GAP package for computations related to racks and quandles. As an application, the list of all indecomposable quandles of size <36 not of type D is computed.

We prove that if Q is a finite quasigroup quandle, then |Q| annihilates the torsion of its homology. It is a classical result in reduced homology of finite groups that the order of a group annihilates its homology. From the very beginning of the rack homology (between 1990 and 1995) the analogous result was suspected. …

Lower bounds of betti numbers for homology groups of racks and quandles will be given using the quotient homomorphism to the orbit quandles. Exact sequences relating various types of homology groups are analyzed. Geometric methods of proving non-triviality of cohomology groups are also given, using virtual knots. The r…

The aim of this paper is to define a homology theory for racks with finite rank N and use it to define invariants of knots generalizing the CJKLS 2-cocycle invariants related to the invariants defined in [15]. For this purpose, we prove that N -degenerate chains form a sub-complex of the classical complex defining rack…

We develop a theory of sets with distributive products (called shelves and multi-shelves) and of their homology. We relate the shelf homology to the rack and quandle homology.

Given a presentation for a rack $\mathcal R$, we define a process which systematically enumerates the elements of $\mathcal R$. The process is modeled on the systematic enumeration of cosets first given by Todd and Coxeter. This generalizes and improves the diagramming method for $n$-quandles introduced by Winker. We p…

New (co)homology theory for symmetric quandles developed.

Monograph explores algebraic structures related to Yang-Baxter equation.

We solve the conjecture by R. Fenn, C. Rourke and B. Sanderson that the rack homology of dihedral quandles satisfies H_3^R(R_p) = Z \oplus Z_p for p odd prime. We also show that H_n^R(R_p) contains Z_p for n>2. Furthermore, we show that the torsion of H_n^R(R_3) is annihilated by 3. We also prove that the quandle homol…

Homology theories for associative algebraic structures are well established and have been studied for a long time. More recently, homology theories for self-distributive algebraic structures motivated by knot theory, such as quandles and their relatives, have been developed and investigated. In this paper, we study ass…

The 2-twist spun trefoil is an example of a sphere that is knotted in 4-dimensional space. Here this example is shown to be distinct from the same sphere with the reversed orientation. To demonstrate this fact a state-sum invariant for classical knots and knotted surfaces is developed via a cohomology theory of racks a…

Given a rack Q and a ring A, one can construct a Yang-Baxter operator c_Q: V tensor V --> V tensor V on the free A-module V = AQ by setting c_Q(x tensor y) = y tensor x^y for all x,y in Q. In answer to a question initiated by D.N. Yetter and P.J. Freyd, this article classifies formal deformations of c_Q in the space of…

Niebrzydowski tribrackets are ternary operations on sets satisfying conditions obtained from the oriented Reidemeister moves such that the set of tribracket colorings of an oriented knot or link diagram is an invariant of oriented knots and links. We introduce tribracket modules analogous to quandle/biquandle/rack modu…

We give explicit descriptions of the adjoint group of the Coxeter quandle $Q_W$ associated with an arbitrary Coxeter group $W$. The adjoint group of $Q_W$ turns out to be an intermediate group between $W$ and the corresponding Artin group $A_W$, and fits into a central extension of $W$ by a finitely generated free abel…

Innovates polynomial invariant for tribrackets.