arXiv research

Let $N_{g}$ denote a closed nonorientable surface of genus $g$. For $g \geq 2$ the mapping class group $\mathcal{M}(N_{g})$ is generated by Dehn twists and one crosscap slide ($Y$-homeomorphism) or by Dehn twists and a crosscap transposition. Margalit and Schleimer observed that Dehn twists have nontrivial roots. We gi…

We define the concordance crosscap number of a knot as the minimum crosscap number among all the knots concordant to the knot. The four-dimensional crosscap number is the minimum first Betti number of non-orientable surfaces smoothly embedded in 4-dimensional ball, bounding the knot. Clearly the 4-dimensional crosscap …

We determine the precise bifurcation diagrams of the apparent contours of generic crosscaps, which contain the information of bifurcations with respect to the images of the singular sets of crosscaps: crosscap points and double point curves. Especially, three different kinds of equivalences play key roles.

New method for calculating crosscap numbers of knots.

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

Automatic computation speeds up crosscap number calculation for alternating knots.

The crosscap number of a knot in the 3-sphere is the minimal genus of non-orientable surface bounded by the knot. We determine the crosscap numbers of torus knots.

A crosscap transposition is an element of the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface represented by a homeomorphism supported on a one-holed Klein bottle and swapping two crosscaps. We prove that the mapping class group of a compact nonorientable surface of genus $g\ge 7$ is generated by conjugates of one cross…

New bounds for knot complexity based on Jones polynomial coefficients.

We define the crosscap number of a 2-component link as the minimum of the first Betti numbers of connected, non-orientable surfaces bounding the link. We discuss some properties of the crosscap numbers of 2-component links.

We provide an alternative proof that Crosscaps are diffeomorphically stable.

We present a practical algorithm to determine the minimal genus of non-orientable spanning surfaces for 2-bridge knots, called the crosscap numbers. We will exhibit a table of crosscap numbers of 2-bridge knots up to 12crossings (all 362 of them).

New method uses rational Witt span to bound concordance crosscap number of knots.

The study calculates average crosscap numbers for 2-bridge knots.

New algorithms compute crosscap numbers of knots and 3-manifolds.

Presentations for involutions on non-orientable surfaces up to genus 5.

We study the 3-dimensional immersed crosscap number of a knot, which is a nonorientable analogue of the immersed Seifert genus. We study knots with immersed crosscap number 1, and show that a knot has immersed crosscap number 1 if and only if it is a nonntrivial $(2p,q)$-torus or $(2p,q)$-cable knot. We show that unlik…

The crosscap number of a knot in the 3-sphere is defined as the minimal first Betti number of non-orientable subsurfaces bounded by the knot. In this paper, we determine the crosscap numbers of pretzel knots. The key ingredient to obtain the result is the algorithm of enumerating all essential surfaces for Montesinos k…

Study maxfaces and minfaces converging to surfaces with folded singularities.

We give sharp two-sided linear bounds of the crosscap number (non-orientable genus) of alternating links in terms of their Jones polynomial. Our estimates are often exact and we use them to calculate the crosscap numbers for several infinite families of alternating links and for several alternating knots with up to twe…

Let $N_{g,n}$ be an $n$--punctured non--orientable surface of genus $g$ with one boundary component. For $g\geq 2$ one of the generators of the mapping class group of $N_{g,n}$ is a crosscap transposition. We give explicit formulae for the action of crosscap transpositions and their inverses on the set of multicurves i…

A knot in S^3 is said to have crosscap number two if it bounds a once-punctured Klein bottle but not a Moebius band. In this paper we give a method of constructing crosscap number two hyperbolic (1,2)-knots with tunnel number one which are neither 2-bridge nor (1,1)-knots. An explicit infinite family of such knots is d…

Ito-Takimura recently defined a splice-unknotting number $u^-(D)$ for knot diagrams. They proved that this number provides an upper bound for the crosscap number of any prime knot, asking whether equality holds in the alternating case. We answer their question in the affirmative. (Ito has independently proven the same …

The crosscap number of a knot is an invariant describing the non-orientable surface of smallest genus that the knot bounds. Unlike knot genus (its orientable counterpart), crosscap numbers are difficult to compute and no general algorithm is known. We present three methods for computing crosscap number that offer varyi…

For a knot K, the concordance crosscap number, c(K), is the minimum crosscap number among all knots concordant to K. Building on work of G. Zhang, which studied the determinants of knots with c(K) < 2, we apply the Alexander polynomial to construct new algebraic obstructions to c(K) < 2. With the exception of low cross…

Crosscap slide is a homeomorphism of a nonorientable surface of genus at least 2, which was introduced under the name Y-homeomorphism by Lickorish as an example of an element of the mapping class group which cannot be expressed as a product of Dehn twists. We prove that the subgroup of the mapping class group of a clos…

Study shows relationship between knot crosscap numbers and genera for 2-bridge knots.

The study explores nonorientable 3-manifolds using open books and their monodromies.

For a torus knot K, we bound the crosscap number c(K) in terms of the genus g(K) and crossing number n(K): c(K) \leq [(g(K)+9)/6] and c(K) \leq [(n(K) + 16)/12]. The (6n-2,3) torus knots show that these bounds are sharp.

New method calculates knot and link properties using state codes.

New singularities and fibrations in non-orientable 4-manifolds.

M. Scharlemann has recently proved that any genus one tunnel number one knot is either a satellite or 2-bridge knot, as conjectured by H. Goda and M. Teragaito; all such knots admit a (1,1) decomposition. In this paper we give a classification of the family of (1,1) knots in $S^3$ with crosscap number two (i.e., boundi…

This paper calculates the non-orientable 4-genus for knots with 10 crossings.

Let N_{g,s} denote the nonorientable surface of genus g with s boundary components. Recently Paris and Szepietowski obtained an explicit finite presentation for the mapping class group M(N_{g,s}) of the surface N_{g,s}, where s\in{0,1} and g+s>3. Following this work we obtain a finite presentation for the mapping class…

Classifies homomorphisms from braid groups to mapping class groups of nonorientable surfaces.

New recursion formula for non-orientable surfaces resolves divergences.

We consider non-orientable closed surfaces of minimum crosscap number in the $(p,q)$-lens space $L(p,q) \cong V_1 \cup_{\partial} V_2$, where $V_1$ and $V_2$ are solid tori. Bredon and Wood gave a formula for calculating the minimum crosscap number. Rubinstein showed that $L(p,q)$ with $p$ even has only one isotopy cla…

We obtain a finite generating set for the level 2 twist subgroup of the mapping class group of a closed non-orientable surface. The generating set consists of crosscap pushing maps along non-separating two-sided simple loops and squares of Dehn twists along non-separating two-sided simple closed curves. We also prove t…

We give an infinite presentation for the mapping class group of a non-orientable surface. The generating set consists of all Dehn twists and all crosscap pushing maps along simple loops.

We obtain a finite set of generators for the level 2 mapping class group of a closed nonorientable surface of genus $g\ge 3$. This set consists of isotopy classes of Lickorish's Y-homeomorphisms also called crosscap slides.

Survey of minimal generating sets for nonorientable mapping class groups.

New unoriented algebraic concordance group defined using mock Seifert matrices.

A classification of spanning surfaces for alternating links is provided up to genus, orientability, and a new invariant that we call aggregate slope. That is, given an alternating link, we determine all possible combinations of genus, orientability, and aggregate slope that a surface spanning that link can have. To thi…

State surfaces are spanning surfaces of links that are obtained from link diagrams guided by the combinatorics underlying Kauffman's construction of the Jones polynomial via state models. Geometric properties of such surfaces are often dictated by simple link diagrammatic criteria, and the surfaces themselves carry imp…

We show that the local equivalence class of the collapsed link Floer complex $cCFL^\infty(L)$, together with many $Υ$-type invariants extracted from this group, is a concordance invariant of links. In particular, we define a version of the invariants $Υ_L(t)$ and $ν^+(L)$ when $L$ is a link and we prove that they give …

We give a concrete example of an infinite sequence of $(p_n, q_n)$-lens spaces $L(p_n, q_n)$ with natural triangulations $T(p_n, q_n)$ with $p_n$ taterahedra such that $L(p_n, q_n)$ contains a certain non-orientable closed surface which is fundamental with respect to $T(p_n, q_n)$ and of minimal crosscap number among a…

In an earlier work, we introduced a family of t-modified knot Floer homologies, defined by modifying the construction of knot Floer homology HFK-minus. The resulting groups were then used to define concordance homomorphisms indexed by t in [0,2]. In the present work we elaborate on the special case t=1, and call the co…

In the symplectization of standard contact $3$-space, $\mathbb R \times \mathbb R^3$, it is known that an orientable Lagrangian cobordism between a Legendrian knot and itself, also known as an orientable Lagrangian endocobordism for the Legendrian knot, must have genus $0$. We show that any Legendrian knot has a non-or…