arXiv research

Classifies certain 3D knots with specific properties.

New invariants improve Heegaard Floer slice genus and clasp number bounds.

New examples show clasp numbers can be zero yet four-genus can be arbitrarily large.

The paper characterizes and contrasts knots with high 4D clasp numbers.

The clasp number $c(K)$ of a knot $K$ is the minimum number of clasp singularities among all clasp disks bounded by $K$. It is known that the genus $g(K)$ and the unknotting number $u(K)$ are lower bounds of the clasp number, that is, $\max\{g(K),u(K)\} \leq c(K)$. Then it is natural to ask whether there exists a knot …

In the 1980's Daryl Cooper introduced the notion of a C-complex (or clasp-complex) bounded by a link and explained how to compute signatures and polynomial invariants using a C-complex. Since then this was extended by works of Cimasoni, Florens, Mellor, Melvin, Conway, Toffoli, Friedl, and others to compute other link …

We analyze transverse doubled knots in the standard contact 3-space by using spanned clasp disks. As applications, we will estimate their self-linking number and furthermore we will show that in many cases, transverse twist knots with the maximal self-linking number are unique up to transverse isotopy.

Study knot invariants to answer questions about slice genus and clasp numbers.

Complete classification of links up to specific moves.

The paper generalizes the $T$-genus to characterize slice knots and slice genus.

We study some properties of decomposable exact Lagrangian cobordisms between Legendrian links in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with the standard contact structure. In particular, for any decomposable exact Lagrangian filling $L$ of a Legendrian link $K$, we may obtain a normal ruling of $K$ associated with $L$. We prove that the asso…

We introduce a new combinatorial method to encode knots and links with applications to knot invariants. Clasp diagrams defined in this paper are combinatorial blueprints for building knot diagrams out of full twists on two strings rather than out of crossings. We describe an equivalence relation on clasp diagrams which…

We describe several configurations of clasped ropes which are balanced and thus critical for the Gehring ropelength problem of arXiv:math.DG/0402212.

New method calculates bridge indices of spatial graphs using diagram colorings and Wirtinger number.

We introduce the notion of a ribbon-clasp surface-link, which is a generalization of a ribbon surface-link. We generalize the notion of a normal form on embedded surface-links to the case of immersed surface-links and prove that any (immersed) surface-link can be described in a normal form. It is known that an embedded…

We prove that deciding if a diagram of the unknot can be untangled using at most $k$ Riedemeister moves (where $k$ is part of the input) is NP-hard. We also prove that several natural questions regarding links in the $3$-sphere are NP-hard, including detecting whether a link contains a trivial sublink with $n$ componen…

Paper extends link Floer homology detection to almost braided links.

We show that the $A_2$ clasps in the Karoubi envelope of $A_2$ spider satisfy the recursive formula of the two-variable Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind associated with a root system of type $A_2$. The $A_2$ spider is a diagrammatic description of the representation category for $U_q(\mathfrak{sl}_3)$ and the $…

New knots found that are 4-genus minimal.

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an infinite family of counter examples of the open problem mentioned in [2]. In particular, we present an infinite family of a particular Legendrian $(4,-(2n+5))$-torus knot, for each $n \geq 0$, which has only 1 normal ruling, but do not satisfy the even number of clasps co…

We show that an immersed thrice-punctured sphere in a cusped orientable hyperbolic 3-manifold is either embedded or has a single clasp in a manifold obtained by hyperbolic Dehn filling on a cusp of the Whitehead link complement.

Category theory generalizes finite type invariants using diagrams systems.

We develop a topological model of knots and links arising from a single (or multiple processive) round(s) of recombination starting with an unknot, unlink, or (2,m)-torus knot or link substrate. We show that all knotted or linked products fall into a single family, and prove that the size of this family grows linearly …

Kuperberg introduced web spaces for some Lie algebras which are generalizations of the Kauffman bracket skein module on a disk with marked points. We derive some formulas for $A_1$ and $A_2$ clasped web spaces by graphical calculus using skein theory. These formulas are colored version of skein relations, twist formula…

We analyze properties of links which have diagrams with a small number of negative crossings. We show that if a nontrivial link has a diagram with all crossings positive except possibly one, then the signature of the link is negative. If a link diagram has two negative crossings, we show that the signature of the link …

The ropelength problem asks for the minimum-length configuration of a knotted diameter-one tube embedded in Euclidean three-space. The core curve of such a tube is called a tight knot, and its length is a knot invariant measuring complexity. In terms of the core curve, the thickness constraint has two parts: an upper b…

We study the effect of satellite operations on the Upsilon invariant of Ozsvath-Stipsicz-Szabo. We obtain results concerning when a knot and its satellites are independent; for example, we show that the set $\{D_{2^i,1}\}_{i=1}^\infty$ is a basis for an infinite rank summand of the group of smooth concordance classes o…

The Kauffman-Vogel polynomials are three variable polynomial invariants of $4$-valent rigid vertex graphs. A one-variable specialization of the Kauffman-Vogel polynomials for unoriented $4$-valent rigid vertex graphs was given by using the Kauffman bracket and the Jones-Wenzl idempotent colored with $2$. Bataineh, Elha…

We show that Khovanov homology (and its sl(3) variant) can be understood in the context of higher representation theory. Specifically, we show that the combinatorially defined foam constructions of these theories arise as a family of 2-representations of categorified quantum sl(m) via categorical skew Howe duality. Uti…

In this paper we study the knot Floer homology invariants of the twisted and untwisted Whitehead doubles of an arbitrary knot K. We present a formula for the filtered chain homotopy type of HFK(D(+,K,t)) in terms of the invariants for K, where D(+,K,t) denotes the t-twisted positive-clasped Whitehead double of K. In pa…

Positive surgery on knots in weakly fillable 3-manifolds yields weakly fillable contact structures.

Let $D(K)$ be the positively-clasped untwisted Whitehead double of a knot $K$, and $T_{p,q}$ be the $(p,q)$ torus knot. We show that $D(T_{2,2m+1})$ and $D^2(T_{2,2m+1})$ are linearly independent in the smooth knot concordance group $\mathcal{C}$ for each $m\geq 2$. Further, $D(T_{2,5})$ and $D^2(T_{2,5})$ generate a $…

In 1974, Gehring posed the problem of minimizing the length of two linked curves separated by unit distance. This constraint can be viewed as a measure of thickness for links, and the ratio of length over thickness as the ropelength. In this paper we refine Gehring's problem to deal with links in a fixed link-homotopy …

In this paper, we study the asymptotics of the colored Jones polynomials of the Whitehead chains with one belt colored by $M_1$ and all the clasps colored by $M_2$ evaluated at the $(N+1/2)$-th root of unity $t=e^{\frac{2πi}{N+1/2}}$, where $M_1$ and $M_2$ are sequences of integers in $N$. By considering the limiting r…

Intelligent agents can learn to represent the action spaces of other agents simply by observing them act. Such representations help agents quickly learn to predict the effects of their own actions on the environment and to plan complex action sequences. In this work, we address the problem of learning an agent's action…

Study of $\mathfrak{sp}_4$-webs on surfaces, proving cluster algebra structure.

Khovanov homology for pro-tangles and spectral sequences

We define and compare several natural ways to compute the bridge number of a knot diagram. We study bridge numbers of crossing number minimizing diagrams, as well as the behavior of diagrammatic bridge numbers under the connected sum operation. For each notion of diagrammatic bridge number considered, we find crossing …

Spatial embeddings of planar graphs can have higher unknotting numbers than crossing numbers.

The unknotting number of a knot is the minimum number of crossings one must change to turn that knot into the unknot. The algebraic unknotting number is the minimum number of crossing changes needed to transform a knot into an Alexander polynomial-one knot. We work with a generalization of unknotting number due to Math…

The paper bounds the handle number of sutured manifolds using Morse-Novikov numbers and tunnel numbers.

New measure shows how links can be untangled as twists increase.

New number bounds knot complexity, including unknotting and crosscap numbers.

We give an upper bound for the dealternating number of a closed 3-braid. As applications, we determine the dealternating numbers, the alternation numbers and the Turaev genera of some closed positive 3-braids. We also show that there exist infinitely many positive knots with any dealternating number (or any alternation…

Paper shows that for torus knots, the pinch number equals the unoriented band unknotting number.

Delta-unlinking number measures how to unlink algebraically split links.

Study on knot properties, showing relation between unknotting and crossing numbers.

Odd crossing numbers and even rotation numbers for cycles in plane immersions.