Milnor and finite type invariants of plat-closures

Abstract

We show that for an $n$-component, $n$-bridge link and a positive integer $m$, the following is true: If the longitudes of $L$ lie in the $(m+2)$-th term of the lower central series of the link group then all the finite type invariants of orders $\le m$ for $L$ are the same as these of the $n$-component unlink.

14 pages. To appear in Math. Res. Letters