Anyons and the HOMFLY Skein Algebra

Abstract

We give an exposition of how the Kauffman bracket arises for certain systems of anyons, and do so outside the usual arena of Temperley-Lieb-Jones categories. This is further elucidated through the discussion of the Iwahori-Hecke algebra and its relation to modular tensor categories. We then proceed to classify the framed link-invariants associated to a system of self-dual anyons $q$ with $\sum_{x}N_{qq}^{x}\leq2$. In particular, we construct a trace on the HOMFLY skein algebra which can be expanded via gauge-invariant quantities, thereby generalising the case of the Kauffman bracket. Various examples are provided, and we deduce some interesting properties of these anyons along the way.