Mutation, surface graphs, and alternating links in surfaces

Abstract

In this paper, we study alternating links in thickened surfaces in terms of the lattices of integer flows on their Tait graphs. We use this approach to give a short proof of the first two generalised Tait conjectures. We also prove that the flow lattice is an invariant of alternating links in thickened surfaces and is further invariant under disc mutation. For classical links, the flow lattice and $d$-invariants are complete invariants of the mutation class of an alternating link. For links in thickened surfaces, we show that this is no longer the case by finding a stronger mutation invariant, namely the Gordon-Litherland linking form. In particular, we find alternating knots in thickened surfaces which have isometric flow lattices but with non-isomorphic linking forms.