Related papers: Knotted handle decomposing spheres for handlebody-…
The paper considers the uniqueness question of factorization of a knotted handlebody in the $3$-sphere along decomposing $2$-spheres. We obtain a uniqueness result for factorization along decomposing $2$-spheres meeting the handlebody at…
The paper concerns two classical problems in knot theory pertaining to knot symmetry and knot exteriors. In the context of a knotted handlebody $V$ in a $3$-sphere $S^3$, the symmetry problem seeks to classify the mapping class group of the…
We consider the group of isotopy classes of automorphisms of the 3-sphere that preserve a spatial graph or a handlebody-knot embedded in it. We prove that the group is finitely presented for an arbitrary spatial graph or a reducible…
For every integer $g\ge 2$ we construct 3-dimensional genus-$g$ 1-handlebodies smoothly embedded in $S^4$ with the same boundary, and which are defined by the same cut systems of their boundary, yet which are not isotopic rel. boundary via…
We investigate the class of $3$-decomposable genus two handlebody-knots and provide a complete classification of essential annuli in their exteriors. We introduce the notion of $\tau$- and $\rho$-tangles and good rectangles and annuli. By…
In this paper, we describe the relation between the study of closed connected surfaces embedded in $S^3$ and the theory of handlebody-knots. By Fox's theorem, a pair of handlebody-knots is associated to a closed connected surface embedded…
A handlebody-knot is a handlebody embedded in the 3-sphere. We establish a uniform method to construct invariants for handlebody-links. We introduce the category $\mathcal{T}$ of handlebody-tangles and present it by generators and…
We construct the first explicit example of a simplicial 3-ball B_{15,66} that is not collapsible. It has only 15 vertices. We exhibit a second 3-ball B_{12,38} with 12 vertices that is collapsible and evasive, but not shellable. Finally, we…
We construct quantum $\mathcal{U}_q(\mathfrak{sl}_{\,2})$ type invariants for handlebody-knots in the 3-sphere $S^3$. A handlebody-knot is an embedding of a handlebody in a 3-manifold. These invariants are linear sums of Yokota's invariants…
A recent result of Funayoshi-Koda shows that a handlebody-knot of genus two has a finite symmetry group if and only if it is hyperbolic -- the exterior admits a hyperbolic structure with totally geodesic boundary -- or irreducible,…
We compare two naturally arising notions of unknotting number for 2-spheres in the 4-sphere: namely, the minimal number of 1-handle stabilizations needed to obtain an unknotted surface, and the minimal number of Whitney moves required in a…
Given a knot in a closed connected orientable 3-manifold we prove that if the exterior of the knot admits an aperiodic contact form that is Euclidean near the boundary, then the 3-manifold is diffeomorphic to the 3-sphere and the knot is…
We classify all potential configurations of essential annuli in a genus two atoroidal handlebody exterior in the $3$-sphere, building on two recent classifications: the classification of the JSJ-graph of the exterior and the classification…
We determine the structure of the circular handle decompositions of the family of free genus one knots. Namely, if k is a free genus one knot, then the handle number h(k)= 0, 1 or 2, and, if k is not fibered (that is, if h(k)>0), then k is…
We show the existence of infinitely many knot exteriors where each of which contains meridional essential surfaces of any genus and (even) number of boundary components. That is, the compact surfaces that have a meridional essential…
The paper applies the JSJ decomposition and Koda-Ozawa's annulus classification to analyze the annulus configuration in a handlebody-knot exterior. We introduce the notion of the annulus diagram, to pack the configuration into a labeled…
We study the existence of incompressible embeddings of surfaces into the genus two handlebody. We show that for every compact surface with boundary, orientable or not, there is an incompressible embedding of the surface into the genus two…
By Thurston's hyperbolization theorem, irreducible handlebody-knots are classified into three classes: hyperbolic, toroidal, and atoroidal cylindrical. It is known that a non-trivial handlebody-knot of genus two has a finite symmetry group…
In contrast to classical knots, the knot type of a genus two handlebody-knot is not determined by its exterior, and it is often a challenging task to distinguish handlebody-knots with homeomorphic exteriors. The present paper considers an…
Suppose M is a closed irreducible orientable 3-manifold, K is a knot in M, P and Q are bridge surfaces for K and K is not removable with respect to Q. We show that either Q is equivalent to P or $d(K,P) \leq 2-\chi(Q-K)$. If K is not a two…