Knot Invariants from Classical Field Theories

Abstract

We consider the Non-Abelian Chern-Simons term coupled to external particles, in a gauge and diffeomorphism invariant form. The classical equations of motion are perturbativelly studied, and the on-shell action is shown to produce knot-invariants associated with the sources. The first contributions are explicitly calculated, and the corresponding knot-invariants are recognized. We conclude that the interplay between Knot Theory and Topological Field Theories is manifested not only at the quantum level, but in a classical context as well.