This paper defines several algebras associated to an oriented surface S with
a finite set of marked points on the boundary. The first is the skein algebra
Sk_q(S), which is spanned by links in the surface which are allowed to have
endpoints at the marked points, modulo several locally defined relations. The
product is given by superposition of links. A basis of this algebra is given,
as well as several algebraic results.
Let D be the ring of differential operators on a smooth irreducible affine
variety X over the complex numbers; or, more generally, the enveloping algebra
of any locally free Lie algebroid on X. The category of finitely-generated
graded modules of the Rees algebra D~ has a natural quotient category qgr(D~)
which imitates the category of modules on Proj of a graded commutative ring. We
show that the derived category D^b(qgr(D~)) is equivalent to the derived
category of finitely-generated modules of a sheaf of algebras E on X which is
coherent over X.