Framing and the Self-Linking Integral
Abstract
Description
The Gauss self-linking integral of an unframed knot is not a knot invariant, but it can be turned into an invariant by adding a correction term which requires adding extra structure to the knot. We collect the different definitions/theorems/proofs concerning this correction term, most of which are well-known (at least as folklore) and put everything together in an accessible format. We then show simply and elegantly how these approaches coincide.
11 pages, 1 figure. Xy-pic package used. Appendix deleted, Lemma 3.2 proof corrected
11 pages, 1 figure. Xy-pic package used. Appendix deleted, Lemma 3.2 proof corrected