Related papers: Knots and tropical curves
In previous work of the first and third authors, we proposed a conjecture that the Kauffman bracket skein module of any knot in $S^3$ carries a natural action of the rank 1 double affine Hecke algebra $SH_{q,t_1, t_2}$ depending on 3…
Besides offering a friendly introduction to knot homologies and quantum curves, the goal of these lectures is to review some of the concrete predictions that follow from the physical interpretation of knot homologies. In particular, this…
We compute rho-invariant for iterated torus knots $K$ for the standard representation of the knot group given by abelianisation. For algebraic knots, this invariant turns out to be very closely related to an invariant of a plane curve…
We use the famous knot-theoretic consequence of Freedman's disc theorem---knots with trivial Alexander polynomial bound a locally-flat disc in the 4-ball---to prove the following generalization. The degree of the Alexander polynomial of a…
A knot K is called n-adjacent to the unknot, if K admits a projection containing n generalized crossings such that changing any m (no larger than n) of them yields a projection of the unknot. We show that a non-trivial satellite knot K is…
A key issue in tropical geometry is the lifting of intersection points to a non-Archimedean field. Here, we ask: Where can classical intersection points of planar curves tropicalize to? An answer should have two parts: first, identifying…
In 2000, Thomas Fink and Young Mao studied neck ties and, with certain assumptions, found 85 different ways to tie a neck tie. They gave a formal language which describes how a tie is made, giving a sequence of moves for each neck tie. The…
We proved by computer enumeration that the Jones polynomial distinguishes the unknot for knots up to 22 crossings. Following an approach of Yamada, we generated knot diagrams by inserting algebraic tangles into Conway polyhedra, computed…
We establish some facts about the behavior of the rational-geometric subvariety of the $SL_2(\c)$ or $PSL_2(\c)$ character variety of a hyperbolic knot manifold under the restriction map to the $SL_2(\c)$ or $PSL_2(\c)$ character variety of…
In this paper we use the connections between tropical algebraic geometry and rigid analytic geometry in order to prove two main results. We use tropical methods to prove a theorem about the Newton polygon for convergent power series in…
Let $F$ be an incompressible, meridionally incompressible and not boundary-parallel surface with boundary in the complement of an algebraic tangle $(B,T)$. Then $F$ separates the strings of $T$ in $B$ and the boundary slope of $F$ is…
It is well-known that the Jones polynomial of an alternating knot is closely related to the Tutte polynomial of a special graph obtained from a regular projection of the knot. Relying on the results of Bollob\'as and Riordan, we introduce a…
In this master thesis, I present a new family of knots in the solid torus called lassos, and their properties. Given a knot $K$ with Alexander polynomial $\Delta_K(t)$, I then use these lassos as patterns to construct families of satellite…
We introduce tropical complexes, as an enrichment of the dual complex of a degeneration with additional data from non-transverse intersection numbers. We define cycles, divisors, and linear equivalence on tropical complexes, analogous both…
A closed geodesic on the modular surface gives rise to a knot on the 3-sphere with a trefoil knot removed, and one can compute the linking number of such a knot with the trefoil knot. We show that, when ordered by their length, the set of…
We review the polynomial parameterization of classical knots and prove the analogous results for long $2$ knots. We also construct polynomial parameterizations for certain classes of knotted spheres (such as spun and twist spun of the…
An elementary introduction to knot theory and its link to quantum field theory is presented with an intention to provide details of some basic calculations in the subject, which are not easily found in texts. Study of Chern-Simons theory…
Let $[K:\mathbb{Q}]=p$ be a prime number and let $E/K$ be an elliptic curve with $j(E) \in \mathbb{Q}$. We determine the all possibilities for $E(K)_{tors}$. We obtain these results by studying Galois representations of $E$ and of it's…
The Chow polytope of an algebraic cycle in a torus depends only on its tropicalisation. Generalising this, we associate a Chow polytope to any abstract tropical variety in a tropicalised toric variety. Several significant polyhedra…
We show that if a composite $\theta$-curve has (proper rational) unknotting number one, then it is the order 2 sum of a (proper rational) unknotting number one knot and a trivial $\theta$-curve. We also prove similar results for 2-strand…