Khovanov Homology for Tangles in Connected Sums

Alan Du

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arXiv · 2603.07337

Khovanov Homology for Tangles in Connected Sums

Alan Du

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Abstract

Khovanov homology is an invariant for links in the three sphere that categorizes the Jones polynomial. We extend Khovanov's construction to links in 3-manifolds that are connected sums of orientable interval bundles over surfaces. Cutting the 3-manifold along a separating sphere, we construct type D and type A structures that are invariants of tangles in the two halves following the work of Roberts. Gluing the type D and type A structures along the common boundary recovers the Khovanov homology of the link.

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Alan Du. 2026-03-07. Khovanov Homology for Tangles in Connected Sums. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07337

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