arXiv research

Moduli space linked to Tait colorings of planar graphs.

Kronheimer-Mrowka's instanton homology dimension equals Tait colorings.

SU(3) instanton homology counts Tait colorings for webs and foams.

Every cubic graph is a bridge trisection's 1-skeleton for a knotted surface.

Kronheimer and Mrowka recently suggested a possible approach towards a new proof of the four color theorem that does not rely on computer calculations. Their approach is based on a functor $J^\sharp$, which they define using gauge theory, from the category of webs and foams to the category of vector spaces over the fie…

New formulas derived for Jones polynomial of rational links.

Fox coloring provides a combinatorial framework for studying dihedral representations of the knot group. The less well-known concept of Dehn coloring captures the same data. Recent work of Carter-Silver-Williams clarifies the relationship between the two focusing on how one transitions between Fox and Dehn colorings. I…

A deformation of the authors' instanton homology for webs is constructed by introducing a local system of coefficients. In the case that the web is planar, the rank of the deformed instanton homology is equal to the number of Tait colorings of the web.

We use SO(3) gauge theory to define a functor from a category of unoriented webs and foams to the category of finite-dimensional vector spaces over the field of two elements. We prove a non-vanishing theorem for this SO(3) instanton homology of webs, using Gabai's sutured manifold theory. It is hoped that the non-vanis…

Graph coloring is explained using a topological field theory with defects.

The paper explores group presentations for links in thickened surfaces, proving their relationship and introducing new invariants.

Khovanov homology ist a new link invariant, discovered by M. Khovanov, and used by J. Rasmussen to give a combinatorial proof of the Milnor conjecture. In this thesis, we give examples of mutant links with different Khovanov homology. We prove that Khovanov's chain complex retracts to a subcomplex, whose generators are…

The SO(3) instanton homology recently introduced by the authors associates a finite-dimensional vector space over the field of two elements to every embedded trivalent graph (or "web"). The present paper establishes a skein exact triangle for this instanton homology, as well as a realization of the octahedral axiom. Fr…

Dominant knots have isomorphic Seifert and Tait graphs.

Proof of Tait-Kneser theorem and related variations using Lorentzian geometry.

First geometric proof of the flyping theorem.

Extends Gordon-Litherland pairing to links in thickened surfaces, defining new invariants.

The Tait-Kneser theorem states that the osculating circles of a plane curve with monotonic curvature are pairwise disjoint and nested. We discuss this theorem and a number of its variations.

We give a brief historical overview of the Tait conjectures, made 120 years ago in the course of his pioneering work in tabulating the simplest knots, and solved a century later using the Jones polynomial. We announce the solution, again based on a substantial study of the Jones polynomial, of one (possibly his last re…

The paper extends foam theory to more complex trivalent graphs.

The classical Tait-Kneser theorem states that the osculating circles of a smooth plane curve, free from curvature extrema, are pairwise disjoint. We prove a number of analogs of this theorem, e.g., for ovals of osculating cubics, osculating polynomials and trigonometric polynomials; in each case, we will obtain a non-d…

The paper characterizes discrete Morse functions on knot diagrams and generalizes a clock theorem.

Tait's flyping conjecture, stating that two reduced, alternating, prime link diagrams can be connected by a finite sequence of flypes, is extended to reduced, alternating, prime diagrams of 4-regular graphs in S^3. The proof of this version of the flyping conjecture is based on the fact that the equivalence classes wit…

Extends classical results to virtual links, proving new properties of alternating and semi-alternating virtual links.

In this paper, we characterize the sigma-adequacy of a link diagram in two ways: in terms of a certain edge subset of its Tait graph and in terms of a certain product of Tutte polynomials. Furthermore, we show that the symmetrized Tutte polynomial of the Tait graph of a link diagram can be written as a sum of these pro…

There is a well-known way to describe a link diagram as a (signed) plane graph, called its Tait graph. This concept was recently extended, providing a way to associate a set of embedded graphs (or ribbon graphs) to a link diagram. While every plane graph arises as a Tait graph of a unique link diagram, not every embedd…

The paper develops a theory of skein adequate links in thickened surfaces and proves Tait conjectures.

New theorem bounds link volume using surface coefficients.

In this paper we are interested in symmetries of alternating knots, more precisely in those related to achirality. We call the following statement Tait's Conjecture on alternating -achiral knots: Let K be an alternating -achiral knot. Then there exists a minimal projection Π of K in S^2 \subset S^3 and an involution φ:…

Essential surfaces in link diagrams on surfaces are crucial for understanding link properties.

The Tait conjecture states that reduced alternating diagrams of links in S^3 have the minimal number of crossings. It has been proved in 1987 by M. Thistlethwaite, L.H. Kauffman and K. Murasugi studying the Jones polynomial. In this paper we prove an analogous result for alternating links in S^1xS^2 giving a complete a…

New invariant $CWR$ for alternating links is stronger than existing invariants.

New method associates annular links to elements of Thompson's group T.

This paper classifies periodic weaves and their universal cover, extending Tait's conjectures.

We study the variation of the Tait number of a closed space curve according to its different projections. The results are used to compute the writhe of a knot, leading to a closed formula in case of polygonal curves.

The Tait conjecture states that alternating reduced diagrams of links in S^3 have the minimal number of crossings. It has been proved in 1987 by M. Thistlethwaite, L. Kauffman and K. Murasugi studying the Jones polynomial. The author proved an analogous result for alternating links in S^1xS^2 giving a complete answer t…

The paper studies alternating links in thickened surfaces using flow lattices and disc mutations.

In this chapter (Chapter V) we present several results which demonstrate a close connection and useful exchange of ideas between graph theory and knot theory. These disciplines were shown to be related from the time of Tait (if not Listing) but the great flow of ideas started only after Jones discoveries. The first dee…

The paper shows links can be colored with fewer colors than previously thought.

For a link with zero determinants, a Z-coloring is defined as a generalization of Fox coloring. We call a link having a diagram which admits a non-trivial Z-coloring a Z-colorable link. The minimal coloring number of a Z-colorable link is the minimal number of colors for non-trivial Z-colorings on diagrams of the link.…

Study on knots using 17 colors, finding specific color assignments.

It was shown that any $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable link has a diagram which admits a non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}$-coloring with at most four colors. In this paper, we consider minimal numbers of colors for non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}$-colorings on minimal diagrams of $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable links. We show, for any positive integer $N…

Aicardi's invariant $F(L)$ is extended to colored singular links using graphical calculus.

The paper finds minimum Dehn colors for knots and defines useful graphs for coloring.

We establish a characterization of alternating links in terms of definite spanning surfaces. We apply it to obtain a new proof of Tait's conjecture that reduced alternating diagrams of the same link have the same crossing number and writhe. We also deduce a result of Banks and Hirasawa-Sakuma about Seifert surfaces for…

We determine the minimal number of colors for non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}$-colorings on the standard minimal diagrams of $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable torus links. Also included are complete classifications of such $\mathbb{Z}$-colorings and of such $\mathbb{Z}$-colorings by only four colors, which are shown by using rack colorin…

K. Ichihara and E. Matsudo introduced the notions of $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable links and the minimal coloring number for $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable links, which is one of invariants for links. They proved that the lower bound of minimal coloring number of a non-splittable $\mathbb{Z}$-colorable link is 4. In this paper, we sh…

Factor complexity $b_φ(n)$ for a vertex coloring $φ$ of a regular tree is the number of colored $n$-balls up to color-preserving automorphisms. Sturmian colorings are colorings of minimal unbounded factor complexity $b_φ(n) = n+2$. In this article, we prove an induction algorithm for Sturmian colorings using colored ba…