Vassiliev Invariants from Symmetric Spaces

Abstract

We construct a natural framed weight system on chord diagrams from the curvature tensor of any pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space. These weight systems are of Lie algebra type and realized by the action of the holonomy Lie algebra on a tangent space. Among the Lie algebra weight systems, they are exactly characterized by having the symmetries of the Riemann curvature tensor.