On T-positive links

Abstract

T-positive links form a subset of strongly quasipositive links that strictly contains the set of all non-split braid positive links. Analogous to Baader's characterisation of positive links as precisely the strongly quasipositive and homogeneous links, we show that T-positive links are precisely the strongly quasipositive links that are the closures of T-homogeneous braids. This complements previous characterizations of T-positive links by Rudolph and Banfield as links arising as boundaries of positive Hopf-plumbed baskets, or closures of staircase braids. We examine the behavior of T-positive links under cabling operations and connected sums, and demonstrate that all strongly quasipositive, fibered knots with at most 12 crossings are T-positive. Additionally, we compare T-positivity with other positivity notions for links and compile open questions.