Minimizing intersection points of curves under virtual homotopy

Abstract

A flat virtual link is a finite collection of oriented closed curves $\mathfrak L$ on an oriented surface $M$ considered up to virtual homotopy, i.e., a composition of elementary stabilizations, destabilizations, and homotopies. Specializing to a pair of curves $(L_1,L_2)$, we show that the minimal number of intersection points of curves in the virtual homotopy class of $(L_1, L_2)$ equals to the number of terms of a generalization of the Anderson--Mattes--Reshetikhin Poisson bracket. Furthermore, considering a single curve, we show that the minimal number of self-intersections of a curve in its virtual homotopy class can be counted by a generalization of the Cahn cobracket.