Notes for BBS/Polyak-100707-134559.jpg

Abstract: Alexander-Conway polynomial is one of the fundamental invariants of links. We introduce a simple extension of this polynomial to ordered tangles in thickened surfaces. Its behavior under gluing of surfaces along intervals or circles can be neatly formulated as an open-closed TQFT. The resulting invariants include Milnor's mu-invariants of string links.

See also arXiv:0810.3146, "Polyak-Viro formulas for coefficients of the Conway polynomial", by Sergei Chmutov, Michael Cap Khoury, Alfred Rossi.