arXiv research

Explicit matrix presentations of Blanchfield pairings and twisted pairings for torus knots.

In this article, we give a classification of Alexander modules of null-homologous knots in rational homology spheres. We characterize these modules A equipped with their Blanchfield forms $φ$, and the modules A such that there is a unique isomorphism class of $(A,φ)$, and we prove that for the other modules A, there ar…

Given a link $L$, the Blanchfield pairing $\operatorname{Bl}(L)$ is a pairing which is defined on the torsion submodule of the Alexander module of $L$. In some particular cases, namely if $L$ is a boundary link or if the Alexander module of $L$ is torsion, $\operatorname{Bl}(L)$ can be computed explicitly; however no f…

The classification of high-dimensional mu-component boundary links motivates decomposition theorems for the algebraic K-groups of the group ring A[F_mu] and the noncommutative Cohn localization Sigma^{-1}A[F_mu], for any mu>0 and an arbitrary ring A, with F_mu the free group on mu generators and Sigma the set of matric…

Given a null-homologous knot $K$ in a rational homology 3-sphere $M$, and the standard infinite cyclic covering $\tilde{X}$ of $(M,K)$, we define an invariant of triples of curves in $\tilde{X}$, by means of equivariant triple intersections of surfaces. We prove that this invariant provides a map $φ$ on $\Al^{\otimes 3…

Study confirms equivalence of two knot invariants in specific cases.

Null Lagrangian-preserving surgeries are a generalization of the Garoufalidis and Rozansky null-moves, that these authors introduced to study the Kricker lift of the Kontsevich integral, in the setting of pairs (M,K) composed of a rational homology sphere M and a null-homologous knot K in M. They are defined as replace…

We construct examples of knots that have isomorphic nth-order Alexander modules, but non-isomorphic nth-order linking forms, showing that the linking forms provide more information than the modules alone. This generalizes work of Trotter, who found examples of knots that have isomorphic classical Alexander modules, but…

Given a link in $S^3$ we will use invariants derived from the Alexander module and the Blanchfield pairing to obtain lower bounds on the Gordian distance between links, the unlinking number and various splitting numbers. These lower bounds generalise results recently obtained by Kawauchi. We give an application restric…

In this paper we survey some work on representations of $B_n$ given by the induced action on a homology module of some space. One of these, called the Lawrence-Krammer representation, recently came to prominence when it was shown to be faithful for all $n$. We will outline the methods used, applying them to a closely r…

Given a closed, oriented, connected 3-manifold, M, we define higher-order linking forms on the higher-order Alexander modules of M. These higher-order linking forms generalize similar linking forms for knots previously studied by the author, which were themselves generalizations of the classical Blanchfield linking for…

Study knots untwisting with a single move using Blanchfield forms.

We calculate Blanchfield pairings of 3-manifolds. In particular, we give a formula for the Blanchfield pairing of a fibred 3-manifold and we give a new proof that the Blanchfield pairing of a knot can be expressed in terms of a Seifert matrix.

We prove a decomposition formula for twisted Blanchfield pairings of 3-manifolds. As an application we show that the twisted Blanchfield pairing of a 3-manifold obtained from a 3-manifold Y with a representation $φ: Z[π_1(Y)] \to R$, infected by a knot J along a curve $η$ with $φ(η) \neq 1$, splits orthogonally as the …

Study shows knots with similar Blanchfield forms can be homotopy ribbon concordant.

It is well known that the Blanchfield pairing of a knot can be expressed using Seifert matrices. In this paper, we compute the Blanchfield pairing of a colored link with non-zero Alexander polynomial. More precisely, we show that the Blanchfield pairing of such a link can be written in terms of generalized Seifert matr…

Lower bounds on Gordian distance using Blanchfield pairings.

The paper calculates knot invariants using Blanchfield forms and obstructs sliceness.

Defines and calculates signature invariants for twisted linking forms.

Survey connects singularity invariants to link pairings.

Paper confirms algebraic knots are linearly independent using twisted Blanchfield pairings.

The classical abelian invariants of a knot are the Alexander module, which is the first homology group of the the unique infinite cyclic covering space of S^3-K, considered as a module over the (commutative) Laurent polynomial ring, and the Blanchfield linking pairing defined on this module. From the perspective of the…

Study algebraic concordance for links using homology surgery and Blanchfield forms.

Study compares two knot pairings and their equivalence.

We define the twisted Blanchfield pairing of a symmetric triad of chain complexes over a group ring Z[G], together with a unitary representation of G over an Ore domain with involution. We prove that the pairing is sesquilinear, and we prove that it is hermitian and nonsingular under certain extra conditions. A twisted…

The paper computes a pairing for knot concordance and finds non-slice knots.

This paper continues math.DG/9903140. Here we construct a linking form on the torsion part of middle dimensional extended L^2 homology and cohomology of odd-dimensional manifolds. We give a geometric necessary condition when this linking form is hyperbolic. We compute this linking form in case when the manifold bounds.…

Characterizes the Z-genus of boundary links using Blanchfield forms.

In [BF12] the authors associated to a knot K an invariant n_R(K) which is defined using the Blanchfield form and which gives a lower bound on the unknotting number. In this paper we express n_R(K) in terms of Levine-Tristram signatures and nullities of K. In the proof we also show that the Blanchfield form with real co…

Calculates Gordian distances using algebraic methods.

Novikov initiated the study of the algebraic properties of quadratic forms over polynomial extensions by a far-reaching analogue of the Pontrjagin-Thom transversality construction of a Seifert surface of a knot and the infinite cyclic cover of the knot exterior. In this paper the analogy is applied to explain the relat…

The difference between slice and doubly-slice knots is reflected in algebra by the difference between metabolic and hyperbolic Blanchfield linking forms. We exploit this algebraic distinction to refine the classical Witt group of linking forms by defining a `double Witt group' of linking forms. We calculate the double …

Study algebraic concordance groups for non-trivial links.

We develop a theory of chain complex double-cobordism for chain complexes equipped with Poincaré duality. The resulting double-cobordism groups are a refinement of Ranicki's torsion algebraic $L$-groups for localisations of a commutative ring with involution. The refinement is analogous to the difference between metabo…

Study on knots, genera, and algebraic concordance groups.

We study cobordisms and cobordisms rel boundary of PL locally-flat disk knots $D^{n-2}\into D^n$. Cobordisms of disk knots that do not fix the boundary sphere knots are easily classified by the cobordism properties of these boundaries, and any two even-dimensional disk knots with isotopic boundary knots are cobordant r…

The paper characterizes Z-slice genus using algebraic unknotting and linking forms.

Classifies homotopy ribbon discs for certain slice knots.

The paper studies twisted signature invariants and their relation to Casson-Gordon invariants.

We relate certain abelian invariants of a knot, namely the Alexander polynomial, the Blanchfield form, and the Arf invariant, to intersection data of a Whitney tower in the 4-ball bounded by the knot. We also give a new 3-dimensional algorithm for computing these invariants.

Recently Kearton showed that any Seifert matrix of a knot is S--equivalent to the Seifert matrix of a prime knot. We show in this note that such a matrix is in fact S--equivalent to the Seifert matrix of a hyperbolic knot. This result follows from reinterpreting this problem in terms of Blanchfield pairings and by appl…

In a classic paper Zeeman introduced the k-twist spin of a knot K and showed that the exterior of a twist spin fibers over S^1. In particular this result shows that the knot K # -K is doubly slice. In this paper we give a quick proof of Zeeman's result. The k-twist spin of K also gives rise to two metabolizers for K # …

We consider the Alexander polynomial of a plane algebraic curve twisted by a linear representation. We show that it divides the product of the polynomials of the singularity links, for unitary representations. Moreover, their quotient is given by the determinant of its Blanchfield intersection form. Specializing in the…

The paper offers new methods to determine if certain 3D links can be formed by intersecting spheres in 4D space.

We give a sufficient condition under which vanishing property of Cochran-Orr-Teichner knot concordance obstructions splits under connected sum. The condition is described in terms of self-annihilating submodules with respect to higher-order Blanchfield linking forms. This extends results of Levine and the authors on di…

The algebraic unknotting number u_a(K) of a knot K was introduced by Hitoshi Murakami. It equals the minimal number of crossing changes needed to turn K into an Alexander polynomial one knot. In a previous paper the authors used the Blanchfield form of a knot K to define an invariant n(K) and proved that n(K) is a lowe…

Given a knot K we introduce a new invariant coming from the Blanchfield pairing and we show that it gives a lower bound on the unknotting number of K. This lower bound subsumes the lower bounds given by the Levine-Tristram signatures, by the Nakanishi index and it also subsumes the Lickorish obstruction to the unknotti…

In this paper, we prove a conjecture of Friedl and Powell that their Casson-Gordon type invariant of 2-component link with linking number one is actually an obstruction to being height 3.5 Whitney tower/grope concordant to the Hopf Link. The proof employs the notion of solvable cobordism of 3-manifolds with boundary, w…