Related papers: On the algebraic unknotting number

Building on the approach of Bar-Natan and Van der Veen to universal knot invariants using (perturbed) Gaussian functions, we develop a Gaussian model to compute the Alexander polynomial $\Delta_{\mathcal{K}}(T)$ of an oriented knot…

In 2000, Habiro introduced the notion of $C_k$-equivalence of knots and links. This geometric filtration is closely connected to finite type invariants, a class of invariants including Milnor's invariants. Shortly thereafter, Ohyama,…

Generalizing unknotting number, $n$-adjacent knots have $n$ 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…

According to the idea of Ozsv\'ath, Stipsicz and Szab\'o, we define the knot invariant $\Upsilon$ without the holomorphic theory, using constructions from grid homology. We develop a homology theory using grid diagrams, and show that…

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…

A well-known algorithm for unknotting knots involves traversing a knot diagram and changing each crossing that is first encountered from below. The minimal number of crossings changed in this way across all diagrams for a knot is called the…

The unknotting number of knots is a difficult quantity to compute, and even its behavior under basic satelliting operations is not understood. We establish a lower bound on the unknotting number of cable knots and iterated cable knots…

Determining unknotting numbers is a large and widely studied problem. We consider the more general question of the unknotting number of a spatial graph. We show the unknotting number of spatial graphs is subadditive. Let $g$ be an embedding…

New lower bounds on the unknotting number of a knot are constructed from the classical knot signature function. These bounds can be twice as strong as previously known signature bounds. They can also be stronger than known bounds arising…

This paper is expository and is accessible to students. We define simple invariants of knots or links (linking number, Arf-Casson invariants and Alexander-Conway polynomials) motivated by interesting results whose statements are accessible…

Unknotting numbers for torus knots and links are well known. In this paper, we present a method for determining the position of unknotting number crossing changes in a toric braid B(p, q) such that the closure of the resultant braid is…

Symmetries of knots have been studied extensively, and strongly invertible knots are one of them. Lamm defined the equivariant crossing number $c_t(K)$, the minimum crossing number among all symmetric diagrams for a strongly invertible knot…

The clasp number $c(K)$ of a knot $K$ is the minimum number of clasp singularities among all clasp disks bounded by $K$. It is known that the genus $g(K)$ and the unknotting number $u(K)$ are lower bounds of the clasp number, that is,…

We introduce the notion of slice depth of a 2-knot K, which is the minimal integer n such that K is n-slice. We give an upper bound for the slice depth of the n-twist spin of a classical knot which belongs to several specific classes,…

A perturbative expansion of knot invariants is derived using quantum cluster algebras. By interpreting the $R$-matrix of $U_q(\mathfrak{sl}_2)$ as a cluster transformation and introducing an auxiliary parameter $\epsilon$, we derive a…

We prove that if an alternating 3-braid knot has unknotting number one, then there must exist an unknotting crossing in any alternating diagram of it, and we enumerate such knots. The argument combines the obstruction to unknotting number…

The concordance genus of a knot K is the minimum three-genus among all knots concordant to K. For prime knots of 10 or fewer crossings there have been three knots for which the concordance genus was unknown. Those three cases are now…

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…

It was previously shown by the second author that every knot in $S^3$ is ambient isotopic to one component of a two-component, alternating, hyperbolic link. In this paper, we define the alternating volume of a knot $K$ to be the minimum…

Let $D$ be a knot diagram, and let ${\mathcal D}$ denote the set of diagrams that can be obtained from $D$ by crossing exchanges. If $D$ has $n$ crossings, then ${\mathcal D}$ consists of $2^n$ diagrams. A folklore argument shows that at…