An isomorphism Theorem for Yokonuma--Hecke algebras and applications to link invariants

We develop several applications of the fact that the Yokonuma--Hecke algebra of the general linear group GL is isomorphic to a direct sum of matrix algebras associated to Iwahori--Hecke algebras of type A. This includes a description of the semisimple and modular representation theory of the Yokonuma--Hecke algebras of GL and a complete classification of all the Markov traces for them. Finally, from these Markov traces, we construct 3-variables polynomials which are invariants for framed and classical knots and links, and investigate their properties with the help of the isomorphism.