English

Unknotting information from Heegaard Floer homology

Geometric Topology 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

We use Heegaard Floer homology to obtain bounds on unknotting numbers. This is a generalisation of Ozsvath and Szabo's obstruction to unknotting number one. We determine the unknotting numbers of 9_10, 9_13, 9_35, 9_38, 10_53, 10_101 and 10_120; this completes the table of unknotting numbers for prime knots with crossing number nine or less. Our obstruction uses a refined version of Montesinos' theorem which gives a Dehn surgery description of the branched double cover of a knot.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math/0506485,
  title  = {Unknotting information from Heegaard Floer homology},
  author = {Brendan Owens},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0506485},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

26 pages, 13 figures (xypic)