Abstract
Every transverse knot in a contact 3-manifold is represented as a closed
braid in an open book. In this talk, based on a new technique called an
open book foliation, we give a formula of self-linking number in terms
of braids and open books. Surprisingly, our self-linking number formula
essentially uses Johnson's homomorphism. This is a joint work with Keiko
Kawamuro (Univ. Iowa).