Zeroes of the Jones polynomial

We study the distribution of zeroes of the Jones polynomial VK (t) for a knot K . We have computed numerically the roots of the Jones polynomial for all prime knots with N 6 10 crossings, and found the zeroes scattered about the unit circle |t|=1 with the average distance to the circle approaching a nonzero value as N increases. For torus knots of the type (m; n) we show that all zeroes lie on the unit circle with a uniform density in the limit of either m or n → ∞, a fact con2rmed by our numerical 2ndings. We have also elucidated the relation connecting the Jones polynomial with the Potts model, and used this relation to derive the Jones polynomial for a repeating chain knot with 3n crossings for general n. It is found that zeroes of its Jones polynomial lie on three closed curves centered about the points 1; i and −i. In addition, there are two isolated zeroes located one each near the points t± = e±2 i=3 at a distance of the order of 3−(n+2)=2. Closed-form expressions are deduced for the closed curves in the limit of n → ∞. c © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.