Derivation of the total twist from Chern-Simons theory

Abstract

The total twist number, which represents the first non-trivial Vassiliev knot invariant, is derived from the second order expression of the Wilson loop expectation value in the Chern-Simons theory. Using the well-known fact that the analytical expression is an invariant, a non-recursive formulation of the total twist based on the evaluation of knot diagrams is constructed by an appropriate deformation of the knot line in the three-dimensional Euclidian space. The relation to the original definition of the total twist is elucidated.