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A decomposable color with nonscalar twist has no single writhe correction
Statement refuted
Assume the Axiom of Choice. The counterexample uses the following category: objects are finite-dimensional rational vector spaces with a linear involution satisfying ; morphisms are rational-linear maps satisfying , with ordinary addition and scalar multiplication on each morphism space; tensor product has involution , the unit is with identity involution, and associators and unitors are the usual vector-space maps. The braiding is the ordinary flip . The chosen left dual of is with involution , evaluation , and coevaluation for any basis and its dual basis . The twist is . This is a -linear ribbon category with . For with , the twist is invertible and nonscalar, its one-strand identity ribbon trace is , and its positive two-strand stabilization ribbon trace is . Therefore no nonzero scalar writhe correction works.
Statement references
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The false claim in the preceding section, the braid trace convention, and the Axiom of Choice.
The ribbon evaluation of an -colored closed braid is with (The ribbon evaluation of an -colored closed braid).
The scalar writhe-correction theorem assumes an absolutely simple color whose twist is the scalar with (Scalar twist correction removes the framing).
Under the Axiom of Choice, two braids have equivalent oriented closures exactly when related by conjugations, stabilizations, and destabilizations (Markov's theorem for braid closures).
A braiding is a natural isomorphism satisfying the two hexagon identities (Braiding).
A ribbon twist is natural, obeys the balancing identity, and is compatible with duality (Twist and ribbon structure).
Left-dual evaluation and coevaluation satisfy the two snake identities (Left dual and right dual object).
The Drinfeld morphism is defined by composing coevaluation, the braiding, and evaluation (A braided rigid category has a Drinfeld morphism).
The ribbon-induced pivotal comparison is monoidal, with (The ribbon evaluation of an -colored closed braid).
Under countable choice, the algebraic ribbon trace equals the blackboard-framed closure evaluation for any color , without a simplicity or scalar-twist hypothesis (The ribbon trace equals the framed-closure evaluation). AC implies countable choice (AC implies DC implies countable choice).
The Axiom of Choice is assumed (The Axiom of Choice).
Counterexample
Let have objects finite-dimensional rational vector spaces equipped with a linear involution (), and morphisms commuting with the involutions. Use , the ordinary flip braiding, standard vector-space duality, and define . This is a ribbon category: the twist is natural because every morphism commutes with ; its tensor rule is and the double flip is the identity; and on the dual, , giving ribbon dual compatibility. The unit is with trivial involution, so . By [F7], the Drinfeld morphism in this symmetric vector-space category is the canonical double-dual identification: on and its evaluation is . Thus the ribbon-induced pivotal map is the canonical double-dual identification composed with .
Take with . It is decomposable and its twist is invertible but nonscalar. For the identity , [F1] gives . For , the braid action is the flip . By [F8], under the canonical vector-space double-dual comparison, has matrix , so the trace of is : the basis tensors and contribute diagonal entries , while the two mixed basis tensors are exchanged and contribute no diagonal entries.
By [A1] and [F9], countable choice holds and the traces in step 2.1 are the actual blackboard-framed closure values; the comparison applies to this nonsimple color. The braid is the positive Markov stabilization of the identity braid in , so [F3] says their oriented unframed closures are equivalent. Their exponent sums are and . For any proposed , the corrected values are and , which are unequal because and is invertible. Thus these framed evaluations admit no scalar writhe correction giving an unframed invariant. The counterexample has precisely the missing hypothesis identified by [F2]: its invertible twist is not scalar on the decomposable color.
Depends on
- Colored framed-link evaluation from a ribbon category
- The ribbon evaluation of an $X$-colored closed braid
- The ribbon trace equals the framed-closure evaluation
- Scalar twist correction removes the framing
- Markov's theorem for braid closures
- The Axiom of Choice
- AC implies DC implies countable choice
- Braiding
- Twist and ribbon structure
- Left dual and right dual object
- A braided rigid category has a Drinfeld morphism
Used by
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Sources
- P. Etingof, S. Gelaki, D. Nikshych, and V. Ostrik, Tensor Categories, §§8.9–8.10 (standard reference, not scraped)
- V. G. Turaev, Quantum Invariants of Knots and 3-Manifolds, Chapter I, §1.5 (standard reference, not scraped)