arXiv research

We show that Tim Cochran's invariants $β^i(L)$ of a $2$-component link $L$ in the $3$--sphere can be computed as intersection invariants of certain 2-complexes in the $4$--ball with boundary $L$. These 2-complexes are special types of twisted Whitney towers, which we call {\em Cochran towers}, and which exhibit a new p…

New link found that can't be smoothly deformed.

Given a finitely presented group G and an epimorphism G to the group of integers Cochran and Harvey defined a sequence of integral invariants, which can be viewed as the degrees of higher--order Alexander polynomials. Cochran and Harvey showed that (up to a minor modification) this is a never decreasing sequence of num…

We submit a new way to detect pairs of non-cobordant surface-links. We find a new example of a pair of non-cobordant surface-links with the following properties: Orr invariant, Cochran sequence, Sato-Levine invariant, the alinking number and one of Stallings's theorems cannot distinguish them. However our new way can d…

New obstructions show links with vanishing Milnor invariants may not be concordant to homology boundary links.

Recently twisted and higher order Alexander polynomials were used by Cochran, Harvey, Friedl--Kim and Turaev to give lower bounds on the Thurston norm. We first show how Reidemeister torsion relates to these Alexander polynomials. We then give lower bounds on the Thurston norm in terms of the Reidemeister torsion which…

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…

We address the primary decomposition of the knot concordance group in terms of the solvable filtration and higher-order von Neumann $ρ$-invariants by Cochran, Orr, and Teichner. We show that for a nonnegative integer n, if the connected sum of two n-solvable knots with coprime Alexander polynomials is slice, then each …

New Milnor's invariant condition for topologically slice links.

We note that the Conway potential function $Ω_L$ of an $m$-component link $L$, $m>1$, can be expressed as $Ω_L(x_1,\dots,x_m)=Θ_L(\nabla_L(x_1-x_1^{-1},\dots,x_m-x_m^{-1}))$ for a unique $\nabla_L\in\mathbb Z[z_1,\dots,z_m]$, where $Θ_L$ is a certain endomorphism of the additive group of $\mathbb Z[x_1^{\pm1},\dots,x_m…

We employ Hirzebruch-type invariants obtained from iterated p-covers to investigate concordance of links and string links. We show that the invariants naturally give various group homomorphisms of the string link concordance group into L-groups over number fields. We also obtain homomorphisms of successive quotients of…

We present a large family of knots for which the Rasmussen s-invariants of arbitrary satellites do not detect sliceness. This answers a question of Hedden. The proof hinges on work of Kronheimer-Mrowka and Cochran-Harvey-Horn.

We introduce a new technique for showing classical knots and links are not slice. As one application we resolve a long-standing question as to whether certain natural families of knots contain topologically slice knots. We also present a simpler proof of the result of Cochran-Teichner that the successive quotients of t…

The pair (K,r) consisting of a knot K and a surjective map r from the knot group onto a dihedral group is said to be a p-colored knot. D. Moskovich conjectured that for any odd prime p there are exactly p equivalence classes of p-colored knots up to surgery along unknots in the kernel of the coloring. We show that ther…

Minor typographical errors fixed. Cochran constructed many links with Alexander module that of the unlink and some nonvanishing Milnor invariants, using as input commutators in a free group and as an invariant the longitudes of the links. We present a different and conjecturally complete construction, that uses element…

We use a link invariant defined by Cimasoni-Florens to compute ρ-invariants. This generalizes results of Cochran-Teichner and Friedl on knots to the setting of links. As an application, we prove with only twelve possible exceptions that the twist knots of algebraic order two are linearly independent in the topological …

Cochran, Orr and Teichner introduced $L^2$--eta--invariants to detect highly non--trivial examples of non slice knots. Using a recent theorem by Lück and Schick we show that their metabelian $L^2$--eta--invariants can be viewed as the limit of finite dimensional unitary representations. We recall a ribbon obstruction t…

The set of homology cobordisms from a surface to itself with markings of their boundaries has a natural monoid structure. To investigate the structure of this monoid, we define and study its Magnus representation and Reidemeister torsion invariants by generalizing Kirk-Livingston-Wang's argument over the Gassner repres…

The bipolar filtration of Cochran, Harvey and Horn presents a framework of the study of deeper structures in the smooth concordance group of topologically slice knots. We show that the graded quotient of the bipolar filtration of topologically slice knots has infinite rank at each stage greater than one. To detect nont…

New invariant slope for links helps complete signature formula.

We define an algebraic group comprising symmetric chain complexes which captures the first two stages of the Cochran-Orr-Teichner solvable filtration of the knot concordance group in a single invariant. To achieve this we impose additional structure on each chain complex which puts extra control on the fundamental grou…

For any group G, we define a new characteristic series related to the derived series, that we call the torsion-free derived series of G. Using this series and the Cheeger-Gromov rho-invariant, we obtain new real-valued homology cobordism invariants rho_n for closed (4k-1)-dimensional manifolds. For 3-dimensional manifo…

Homologically fibered knots are knots whose exteriors satisfy the same homological conditions as fibered knots. In our previous paper, we observed that for such a knot, higher-order Alexander invariants defined by Cochran, Harvey and Friedl are generally factorized into the part of the Magnus matrix and that of a certa…

It is known that if any prime power branched cyclic cover of a knot in the 3-sphere is a homology sphere, then the knot has vanishing Casson-Gordon invariants. We construct infinitely many examples of (topologically) non-slice knots in the 3-sphere whose prime power branched cyclic covers are homology spheres. We show …

Geometric aspects of the filtration on classical links by k-quasi-isotopy are discussed, including the effect of Whitehead doubling, relations with Smythe's n-splitting and Kobayashi's k-contractibility. One observation is: ω-quasi-isotopy is equivalent to PL isotopy for links in a homotopy 3-sphere (resp. contractible…

We explain new developments in classical knot theory in 3 and 4~dimensions, i.e. we study knots in 3-space, up to isotopy as well as up to concordance. In dimension~3 we give a geometric interpretation of the Kontsevich integral (joint with Jim Conant), and in dimension 4 we introduce new concordance invariants using v…

We give a useful classification of the metabelian unitary representations of pi_1(M_K), where M_K is the result of zero-surgery along a knot K in S^3. We show that certain eta invariants associated to metabelian representations pi_1(M_K) --> U(k) vanish for slice knots and that even more eta invariants vanish for ribbo…

We establish certain "non-triviality" results for several filtrations of the smooth and topological knot concordance groups. First, as regards the n-solvable filtration of the topological knot concordance group defined by K. Orr, P. Teichner and the first author, we refine the recent non-triviality results of Cochran a…

In 1997 Cochran-Orr-Teichner introduced a natural filtration, called the n-solvable filtration, of the smooth knot concordance group, C. Its terms {F_n} are indexed by half integers. We show that each associated graded abelian group G_n=F_n/F_{n.5}, n>1, contains infinite linearly independent sets of elements of order …

This paper continues our exploration of homology cobordism of 3-manifolds using our recent results on Cheeger-Gromov rho-invariants associated to amenable representations. We introduce a new type of torsion in 3-manifold groups we call hidden torsion, and an algebraic approximation we call local hidden torsion. We cons…

For each sequence of polynomials, P=(p_1(t),p_2(t),...), we define a characteristic series of groups, called the derived series localized at P. Given a knot K in S^3, such a sequence of polynomials arises naturally as the orders of certain submodules of the sequence of higher-order Alexander modules of K. These group s…

This is survey about the classical knot concordance group, prepared for an upcoming handbook of knot theory. Topics include: the basic definitions of concordance; the theory of algebraic concordance as developed by Levine; the theory of Casson-Gordon invariants; applications of topological surgery as developed by Freed…

We define new higher-order Alexander modules $\mathcal{A}_n(C)$ and higher-order degrees $δ_n(C)$ which are invariants of the algebraic planar curve $C$. These come from analyzing the module structure of the homology of certain solvable covers of the complement of the curve $C$. These invariants are in the spirit of th…

We introduce new obstructions to topological knot concordance. These are obtained from amenable groups in Strebel's class, possibly with torsion, using a recently suggested $L^2$-theoretic method due to Orr and the author. Concerning $(h)$-solvable knots which are defined in terms of certain Whitney towers of height $h…

We propose and analyze a structure with which to organize the difference between a knot in the 3-sphere bounding a topologically embedded 2-disk in the 4-ball and it bounding a smoothly embedded disk. The n-solvable filtration of the topological knot concordance group, due to Cochran-Orr-Teichner, may be complete in th…

It is known that the Alexander polynomial detects fibered knots and 3-manifolds that fiber over the circle. In this note, we show that when the Alexander polynomial becomes inconclusive, the notion of "knot adjacency", studied in the paper "Knot adjacency, genus and essential tori" by the authors, can be used to obtain…

This paper continues the study of decompositions of a smooth 4-manifold into two handlebodies with handles of index $\leq2$. Part I gave existence results in terms of spines and chain complexes over the fundamental group of the ambient manifold. Here we assume that one side of a decomposition has larger fundamental gro…

We obtain new invariants of topological link concordance and homology cobordism of 3-manifolds from Hirzebruch-type intersection form defects of towers of iterated p-covers. Our invariants can extract geometric information from an arbitrary depth of the derived series of the fundamental group, and can detect torsion wh…

We study knots of order 2 in the grope filtration $\{\G_h\}$ and the solvable filtration $\{\F_h\}$ of the knot concordance group. We show that, for any integer $n\ge4$, there are knots generating a $\Z_2^\infty$ subgroup of $\G_n/\G_{n.5}$. Considering the solvable filtration, our knots generate a $\Z_2^\infty$ subgro…

We define the higher-order Alexander modules $A_{n,i}(\mathcal{U})$ and higher-order degrees $δ_{n,i}(\mathcal{U})$ which are invariants of a complex hypersurface complement $\mathcal{U}$. These invariants come from the module structure of the homology of certain solvable covers of the hypersurface complement. Such inv…

Milnor's invariants are some of the more fundamental oriented link concordance invariants; they behave as higher order linking numbers and can be computed using combinatorial group theory (due to Milnor), Massey products (due to Turaev and Porter), and higher order intersections (due to Cochran). In this paper, we gene…

We introduce a notion of symmetric Whitney tower cobordism between bordered 3-manifolds, aiming at the study of homology cobordism and link concordance. It is motivated by the symmetric Whitney tower approach to slicing knots and links initiated by Cochran, Orr, and Teichner. We give amenable Cheeger-Gromov rho-invaria…

We explain the notion of a grope cobordism between two knots in a 3-manifold. Each grope cobordism has a type that can be described by a rooted unitrivalent tree. By filtering these trees in different ways, we show how the Goussarov-Habiro approach to finite type invariants of knots is closely related to our notion of …

We explain how the usual algebras of Feynman diagrams behave under the grope degree introduced in "Grope cobordism of classical knots." We show that the Kontsevich integral rationally classifies grope cobordisms of knots in 3-space when the ``class'' is used to organize gropes. This implies that the grope cobordism equ…

In part I it was shown that for each k>0 the generalized Sato-Levine invariant detects a gap between k-quasi-isotopy of link and peripheral structure preserving isomorphism of the finest quotient G_k of its fundamental group, `functorially' invariant under k-quasi-isotopy. Here we show that Cochran's derived invariant …

We give a new proof that the Levine-Tristram signatures of a link give lower bounds for the minimal sum of the genera of a collection of oriented, locally flat, disjointly embedded surfaces that the link can bound in the 4-ball. We call this minimal sum the 4-genus of the link. We also extend a theorem of Cochran, Frie…

By a recent result of Livingston, it is known that if a knot has a prime power branched cyclic cover that is not a homology sphere, then there is an infinite family of non-concordant knots having the same Seifert form as the knot. In this paper, we extend this result to the full extent. We show that if the knot has non…

Revised proof shows ribbonness of surface-links in 4-sphere.