arXiv research

Classifies low-volume hyperbolic 3-manifolds with a maximal cusp.

This paper identifies the unique efficient cycle for most hyperbolic manifolds but not for the figure-8 knot complement.

Study proves Volume Conjecture for Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants.

We establish the volume conjecture for (m,2)-cables of the figure 8 knot, when m is odd. For (m,2)-cables of general knots where m is even, we show that the limit in the volume conjecture depends on the parity of the color (of the Kashaev invariant). There are many cases when the volume conjecture for cables of the fig…

The study computes trace fields and minimal polynomials for specific knots and links.

In the closed, non-Haken, hyperbolic class of examples generated by (2p,q) Dehn fillings of Figure 8 knot space, the geometrically incompressible one-sided surfaces are identified by the filling ratio p/q and determined to be unique in all cases. When applied to one-sided Heegaard splittings, this can be used to classi…

We investigate the Reshetikhin--Turaev invariants associated to SU(2) for the 3-manifolds M obtained by doing any rational surgery along the figure 8 knot. In particular, we express these invariants in terms of certain complex double contour integrals. These integral formulae allow us to propose a formula for the leadi…

We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for a heptagonal knot to be figure-8 knot. The condition is described by a set of Radon partitions formed by vertices of the heptagon. In addition we relate this result to the number of nontrivial heptagonal knots in linear embeddings of the complete graph $K_7$ into $\…

In this paper, we will compute the dimension of the space of spun and ordinary normal surfaces in an ideal triangulation of the interior of a compact 3-manifold with incompressible tori or Klein bottle components. Spun normal surfaces have been described in unpublished work of Thurston. We also define a boundary map fr…

The lattice stick number of a knot type is defined to be the minimal number of straight line segments required to construct a polygon presentation of the knot type in the cubic lattice. In this paper, we mathematically prove that the trefoil knot $3_1$ and the figure-8 knot $4_1$ are the only knot types of lattice stic…

Proves volume conjectures for figure-eight knot surgeries.

Study on Whitehead doubles and their sliceness properties.

The image of a polygonal knot K under a spherical inversion of R^3 (union infinity) is a simple closed curve made of arcs of circles, having the same knot type as the mirror image of K. Suppose we reconnect the vertices of the inverted polygon with straight lines, making a new polygon. This may be a different knot type…

In 1983 Conway and Gordon proved that any embedding of the complete graph $K_7$ into $\mathbb{R}^3$ contains at least one nontrivial knot as its Hamiltonian cycle. After their work knots (also links) are considered as intrinsic properties of abstract graphs, and numerous subsequent works have been continued until recen…

It follows from earlier work of Silver-Williams and the authors that twisted Alexander polynomials detect the unknot and the Hopf link. We now show that twisted Alexander polynomials also detect the trefoil and the figure-8 knot, that twisted Alexander polynomials detect whether a link is split and that twisted Alexand…

Study equivariant 4-genus of knots in symmetric 4-manifolds.

The paper verifies no cosmetic surgeries on knots and 3-manifolds using hyperbolic geometry.

For each natural number n >= 4, we determine the unique lowest volume hyperbolic 3-orbifold whose torsion orders are bounded below by n. This lowest volume orbifold has base space the 3-sphere and singular locus the figure-8 knot, marked n. We apply this result to give sharp lower bounds on the volume of a hyperbolic m…

Criteria for extending degree-2 Azumaya algebras with C2-actions over curves.

We prove: If a complete connected smooth surface M in euclidean 3-space has general position, intersects some plane along a clean figure-8 (a loop with total curvature zero) and all compact intersections with planes have central symmetry, then M is a (geometric) cylinder over some central figure-8. On the way, we estab…

We give results on when a finitely generated group has only indiscrete embeddings in SL(2,C), with particular reference to 3-manifold groups. For instance if we glue two copies of the figure 8 knot along its torus boundary then the fundamental group of the resulting closed 3-manifold sometimes embeds in SL(2,C) and som…

We show that a hyperbolic 2-bridge knot complement is the unique knot complement in its commensurability class. We also discuss constructions of commensurable hyperbolic knot complements and put forth a conjecture on the number of hyperbolic knot complements in a commensurability class.

In this paper we analyze symmetries, hidden symmetries, and commensurability classes of $(ε, d_L)$-twisted knot complements, which are the complements of knots that have a sufficiently large number of twists in each of their twist regions. These knot complements can be constructed via long Dehn fillings on fully augmen…

The paper proves limitations on hyperbolic knot complements with hidden symmetries.

Knots in circle bundles are uniquely identified by their complements.

Formula connects knot complements' invariants.

The study counts ideal points in 2-bridge knot complements using knot diagrams.

We show that all two-bridge knot and link complements are virtually fibered. We also show that spherical Montesinos knot and link complements are virtually fibered. This is accomplished by showing that such knot complements are finitely covered by great circle link complements.

This paper exhibits an infinite family of hyperbolic knot complements that have three knot complements in their respective commensurability classes.

This paper presents evidence supporting the surprising conjecture that in the topological category the slice genus of a satellite knot $P(K)$ is bounded above by the sum of the slice genera of $K$ and $P(U)$. Our main result establishes this conjecture for a variant of the topological slice genus, the $\mathbb{Z}$-slic…

We consider the following question: when is the manifold obtained by gluing together two knot complements an $L$-space? Hedden and Levine proved that splicing 0-framed complements of nontrivial knots never produces an $L$-space. We extend this result to allow for arbitrary integer framings. We find that splicing two in…

Aitchison and Rubinstein constructed two knot complements that can be decomposed into two regular ideal dodecahedra. This paper shows that these knot complements are the only knot complements that decompose into n regular ideal dodecahedra, providing a partial solution to a conjecture of Neumann and Reid.

Study counts geodesic surfaces in knot complements, finding unique ones for small knots.

We investigate commensurability classes of hyperbolic knot complements in the generic case of knots without hidden symmetries. We show that such knot complements which are commensurable are cyclically commensurable, and that there are at most $3$ hyperbolic knot complements in a cyclic commensurability class. Moreover …

We give examples of non-fibered hyperbolic knot complements in homology spheres that are not commensurable to fibered knot complements in homology spheres. In fact, we give many examples of knot complements in homology spheres with the property that every commensurable knot complement in a homology sphere has non-monic…

Let K be a hyperbolic (-2,3,n) pretzel knot and M = S^3 K its complement. For these knots, we verify a conjecture of Reid and Walsh: there are at most three knot complements in the commensurability class of M. Indeed, if n \neq 7, we show that M is the unique knot complement in its class. We include examples to illustr…

Null-homotopic knots in certain 3-manifolds are uniquely identified by their complements.

In this article we examine the conjecture of Neumann and Reid that the only hyperbolic knots in the $3$-sphere which admit hidden symmetries are the figure-eight knot and the two dodecahedral knots. Knots whose complements cover hyperbolic reflection orbifolds admit hidden symmetries, and we verify the Neumann-Reid con…

We construct an algorithm that lists all closed essential surfaces in the complement of a knot that lies on the fiber of a trefoil or figure eight knot. Such knots are Berge knots and hence admit lens space surgeries. Furthermore they may have arbitrarily large hyperbolic volume. Using this algorithm we concoct large v…

New invariant connects knot homology and BPS series for plumbed knot complements.

When a Dehn filled link manifold contains a geometrically incompressible one-sided surface, it is shown there is a unique boundary incompressible position that the surface can take in the link space. The proof uses a version of the sweep-out technique from two-sided Heegaard splitting theory. When applied to one-sided …

This paper is a very brief introduction to knot theory. It describes knot coloring by quandles, the fundamental group of a knot complement, and handle-decompositions of knot complements.

Graphs and their complements are intrinsically knotted.

The paper defines and computes a knot complement invariant for simple links.

The paper identifies knots in specific lens spaces based on their complements.

This paper provides two obstructions to small knot complements in $S^3$ admitting hidden symmetries. The first obstruction is being cyclically commensurable with another knot complement. This result provides a partial answer to a conjecture of Boileau, Boyer, Cebanu, and Walsh. We also provide a second obstruction to a…

Hyperbolic knots decompose into prism orbifolds.

This paper completes a classification of the types of orientable and non-orientable cusps that can arise in the quotients of hyperbolic knot complements. In particular, $S^2(2,4,4)$ cannot be the cusp cross-section of any orbifold quotient of a hyperbolic knot complement. Furthermore, if a knot complement covers an orb…