English

Random space and plane curves

Geometric Topology 2016-11-08 v3 Statistical Mechanics Probability

Abstract

We study random knots, which we define as a triple of random periodic functions (where a random function is a random trigonometric series, f(θ)=k=1akcos(kθ)+bk(sinkθ),f(\theta) = \sum_{k=1}^\infty a_k \cos (k \theta) +b_k (\sin k \theta), with ak,bka_k, b_k are independent gaussian random variables with mean 00 and variance σ(k)2\sigma(k)^2 - our results will depend on the functional dependence of σ\sigma on k.k. In particular, we show that if σ(k)=kα,\sigma(k) = k^\alpha, with α<3/2,\alpha < -3/2, then the probability of getting a knot type which admits a projection with NN crossings, decays at least as fast as 1/N.1/N. The constant 3/23/2 is significant, because having α<3/2\alpha < -3/2 is exactly the condition for f(θ)f(\theta) to be a C1C^1 function, so our class is precisely the class of random \emph{tame} knots. We also find some suprising experimental observations on the zeros of Alexander polynomials of random knots (with slowly and non-decaying coefficients), and even more surprising observations on their coefficients. Our observations persist in other models of random knots, making it likely that the results are universal.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1607.05239,
  title  = {Random space and plane curves},
  author = {Igor Rivin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1607.05239},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

11 pp

R2 v1 2026-06-22T14:57:36.551Z