English

Constructing and Cataloging 2-Adjacent Knots

Geometric Topology 2025-10-02 v1

Abstract

Generalizing unknotting number, nn-adjacent knots have nn crossings such that changing any non-empty subset of them results in the unknot. In this paper, we determine the 2-adjacent knots through 12 crossings. Using Heegaard Floer dd-invariants and the Alexander polynomial, we develop a new technique to obstruct 2-adjacency, and we prove conjectures of Ito and Kato regarding 2-adjacent knots.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2510.00291,
  title  = {Constructing and Cataloging 2-Adjacent Knots},
  author = {John Carney and Everett Meike},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.00291},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

23 pages, 8 figures

R2 v1 2026-07-01T06:09:04.538Z