Odd Khovanov homology and higher representation theory
We introduce a super analogue of \mathfrak{gl}_{2} -foams and use it to define an invariant of oriented tangles, shown to coincide with odd Khovanov homology when restricted to links. We then define a supercategorification of the q -Schur algebra of level 2 and realize our construction as a certain super-2-representation. This gives a representation-theoretic construction of odd Khovanov homology, where signs naturally arise as a byproduct of the super-2-categorical structure. In the process, we define a tensor product for chain complexes in super-2-categories, suitably compatible with homotopies. This could be of independent interest.
Authors
- Pedro Vaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9422-4707)
- Léo Schelstraete (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7167-3964)
Institutions
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics (DE)
- UCLouvain (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Quantum Topology
- Published
- 2026-09-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.4171/qt/266
- Primary Topic
- Homotopy and Cohomology in Algebraic Topology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS