arXiv research

Complete invariant for surfaces in 3-sphere derived from diagrams of fundamental groups.

New invariant slope for links helps complete signature formula.

Simple algorithm for computing link polynomials using skein relations.

Minimum braids are a complete invariant of knots and links. This paper defines minimum braids, describes how they can be generated, presents tables for knots up to ten crossings and oriented links up to nine crossings, and uses minimum braids to study graph trees, amphicheirality, unknotting numbers, and periodic table…

Complete classification of links and spatial graphs with finite N-quandles.

Let $f$ be the gluing map of a Heegaard splitting of a 3-manifold $W$. The goal of this paper is to determine the information about $W$ contained in the image of $f$ under the symplectic representation of the mapping class group. We prove three main results. First, we show that the first homology group of the three man…

In this paper, we give a complete set of finite type string link invariants of degree <5. In addition to Milnor invariants, these include several string link invariants constructed by evaluating knot invariants on certain closure of (cabled) string links. We show that finite type invariants classify string links up to …

It is an open problem whether Kirk's $σ$ invariant is the complete obstruction to a link map $S^2\cup S^2\to S^4$ being link homotopically trivial. With the objective of constructing counterexamples, Li proposed a link homotopy invariant $ω$ that is defined on the kernel of $σ$ and also obstructs link nullhomotopy. We …

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…

For a link $L$ in the 3-sphere and for a prime $p$, we express the $p$-primary information on the first homology group of $p^{m}$-fold branched covers of $L$ in terms of its $p$-adic Milnor higher linking invariants, using the completed Alexander module of the pro-$p$ completion of the link group of $L$.

An ordered and oriented 2-component link L in the 3-sphere is said to be achiral if it is ambient isotopic to its mirror image ignoring the orientation and ordering of the components. Kirk-Livingston showed that if L is achiral then the linking number of L is not congruent to 2 modulo 4. In this paper we study orientat…

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

A handlebody-link is a disjoint union of embeddings of handlebodies in $S^3$ and an HL-homotopy is an equivalence relation on handlebody-links generated by self-crossing changes. The second author and Ryo Nikkuni classified the set of HL-homotopy classes of 2-component handlebody-links completely using the linking numb…

In the article we prove the Casson Invariant Conjecture of Neumann--Wahl for splice type surface singularities. Namely, for such an isolated complete intersection, whose link is an integral homology sphere, we show that the Casson invariant of the link is one-eighth the signature of the Milnor fiber.

We generalized the periodic links to \emph{transitive} links in a $3$-manifold $M$. We find a complete classification theorem of transitive links in a $3$-dimensional sphere $\mathbb{R}^3$. We study these links from several different aspects including polynomial invariants using the relation between link polynomials of…

The universal sl_2 invariant of string links has a universality property for the colored Jones polynomial of links, and takes values in the h-adic completed tensor powers of the quantized enveloping algebra of sl_2. In this paper, we exhibit explicit relationships between the universal sl_2 invariant and Milnor invaria…

We propose a gauge model of quantum electrodynamics (QED) and its nonabelian generalization from which we derive knot invariants such as the Jones polynomial. Our approach is inspired by the work of Witten who derived knot invariants from quantum field theory based on the Chern-Simon Lagrangian. From our approach we ca…

We describe completely the link invariants constructed using Markov traces on the Yokonuma-Hecke algebras in terms of the linking matrix and the HOMFLYPT polynomials of sublinks.

Study shows Conway mutation preserves a specific link invariant.

Let L be a link in an integral homology three-sphere. We give a description of the Heegaard Floer homology of integral surgeries on L in terms of some data associated to L, which we call a complete system of hyperboxes for L. Roughly, a complete systems of hyperboxes consists of chain complexes for (some versions of) t…

We define a generalization of virtual links to arbitrary dimensions by extending the geometric definition due to Carter et al. We show that many homotopy type invariants for classical links extend to invariants of virtual links. We also define generalizations of virtual link diagrams and Gauss codes to represent virtua…

We define a two-variable polynomial invariant of finite quandles. In many cases this invariant completely determines the algebraic structure of the quandle up to isomorphism. We use this polynomial to define a family of link invariants which generalize the quandle counting invariant.

While the topological types of {normal} surface singularities with homology sphere link have been classified, forming a rich class, until recently little was known about the possible analytic structures. We proved in [Geom. Topol. 9(2005) 699-755] that many of them can be realized as complete intersection singularities…

Paper characterizes links with same reduced peripheral system.

Study on spatial graphs and their constituent knots, linking polynomial invariants.

We state Asymptotic Expansion and Growth Rate conjectures for the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of arbitrary framed links in 3-manifolds, and we prove these conjectures for the natural links in mapping tori of finite-order automorphisms of marked surfaces. Our approach is based upon geometric quantisation of the…

Given a link map f into a manifold of the form Q = N \times \Bbb R, when can it be deformed to an unlinked position (in some sense, e.g. where its components map to disjoint \Bbb R-levels) ? Using the language of normal bordism theory as well as the path space approach of Hatcher and Quinn we define obstructions \widet…

Three-component links in the 3-dimensional sphere were classified up to link homotopy by John Milnor in his senior thesis, published in 1954. A complete set of invariants is given by the pairwise linking numbers p, q and r of the components, and by the residue class of one further integer mu, the "triple linking number…

We produce a facial state sum on plane diagrams of a knot or a link which admits an invariant specialization under Polyak's recent set of generating of 4 Reidemeister moves. Thus an isotopy invariant of framed links is obtained. Each state is a complete coloring of the faces of the diagram into white and black faces so…

Characterizes arithmetic and commensurable links in curved surfaces.

We construct the complete invariant for fused links. It is proved that the set of equivalence classes of $n$-component fused links is in one-to-one correspondence with the set of elements of the abelization $UVP_n/UVP_n^{\prime}$ up to conjugation by the elements from the symmetric group $S_n<UVB_n$.

Given a suitable link map f into a manifold M, we constructed, in [10], link homotopy invariants kappa(f) and mu(f). In the present paper we study the case M=S^n x R^{m - n} in detail. Here mu(f) turns out to be the starting term of a whole sequence mu^(s)(f), s = 0, 1, ..., of higher mu-invariants which together captu…

Traditionally introduced in terms of advanced topological constructions, many link invariants may also be defined in much simpler terms given their values on a few initial links and a recursive formula on a skein triangle. Then the crucial question to ask is how many initial values are necessary to completely determine…

We present complete classifications of links in the 3-sphere modulo framed and twisted Whitney towers in a rational homology 4-ball. This provides a geometric characterization of the vanishing of the Milnor invariants of links in terms of Whitney towers. Our result also says that the higher order Arf invariants, which …

We give a Conway-Gordon type formula for invariants of knots and links in a spatial complete four-partite graph $K_{3,3,1,1}$ in terms of the square of the linking number and the second coefficient of the Conway polynomial. As an application, we show that every rectilinear spatial $K_{3,3,1,1}$ contains a nontrivial Ha…

A detailed version of preprint "Self-linking number of a real algebraic link" by the same author, alg-geom/9410030. For a nonsingular real algebraic curve in 3-dimensional projective space or 3-sphere, a new integer-valued characteristic is introduced. It is invariant under rigid isotopy and multiplied by -1 under mirr…

This paper computes Whitney tower filtrations of classical links. Whitney towers consist of iterated stages of Whitney disks and allow a tree-valued intersection theory, showing that the associated graded quotients of the filtration are finitely generated abelian groups. Twisted Whitney towers are studied and a new qua…

We strengthen the link between holomorphic and generating-function invariants of Legendrian knots by establishing a formula relating the number of augmentations of a knot's contact homology to the complete ruling invariant of Chekanov and Pushkar.

The splitting number of a link is the minimal number of crossing changes between different components required, on any diagram, to convert it to a split link. We introduce new techniques to compute the splitting number, involving covering links and Alexander invariants. As an application, we completely determine the sp…

In 1983, Conway and Gordon proved that for every spatial complete graph on six vertices, the sum of the linking numbers over all of the constituent two-component links is odd, and that for every spatial complete graph on seven vertices, the sum of the Arf invariants over all of the Hamiltonian knots is odd. In 2009, th…

The paper defines a new invariant for links and uses it to show non-sliceness.

This paper classifies links in 3D dynamical systems.

New invariant for virtual links defined using homology.

Conway-Gordon proved that for every spatial complete graph on 6 vertices, the sum of the linking numbers over all of the constituent 2-component links is congruent to 1 modulo 2, and for every spatial complete graph on 7 vertices, the sum of the Arf invariants over all of the Hamiltonian knots is also congruent to 1 mo…

The universal sl_2 invariant of bottom tangles has a universality property for the colored Jones polynomial of links. Habiro conjectured that the universal sl_2 invariant of boundary bottom tangles takes values in certain subalgebras of the completed tensor powers of the quantized enveloping algebra U_h(sl_2) of the Li…

Determines regular homotopy classes for link immersions of simple singularities.

The Links--Gould polynomial detects causality in spacetimes.

In 1983, Conway-Gordon showed that for every spatial complete graph on 6 vertices, the sum of the linking numbers over all of the constituent 2-component links is congruent to 1 modulo 2, and for every spatial complete graph on 7 vertices, the sum of the Arf invariants over all of the Hamiltonian knots is also congruen…