More on Kashaev limits of the quantum $A$-polynomials

Abstract

"Colored" knot polynomials satisfy difference equation w.r.t. the highest weights of the underlying representation -- which in the case of symmetrically colored Jones are named "quantum $A$-polynomials". In the double scaling quasiclassical (Kashaev) limit, when representation size $r\sim \hbar^{-1}$, there are different phases -- in one of them the classical action vanishes and in another one it is a deformation of hyperbolic volume (of a knot complement in $S^3$). This corresponds to a splitting of the non-homogeneous version of the quantum $A$-polynomial into two pieces, which we illustrate by more examples than just a figure-eight knot $4_1$ in the original paper. From the point of view of quasiclassics, hyperbolic volume is just an integration constant, which is not fully determined by the $A$-polynomial equation -- and actually remains ambiguous in this formalism. As a byproduct, we expect that classical $A$-polynomial at $L=1$ becomes proportional to Alexander: $A^{\cal K}(1,M)\sim \Delta^{\cal K}(M)$ -- this seems true, but $A$ should be consistent with the polynomiality of {\it non-homogeneous quantum} ${\cal A}$-polynomial, what sometime implies that it is not minimal.