Related papers: Non-surjective satellite operators and piecewise-l…

We produce a rational homology 3-sphere that does not smoothly bound either a positive or negative definite 4-manifold. Such a 3-manifold necessarily cannot be rational homology cobordant to a Seifert fibered space or any 3-manifold…

We construct many examples of non-slice knots in 3-space that cannot be distinguished from slice knots by previously known invariants. Using Whitney towers in place of embedded disks, we define a geometric filtration of the 3-dimensional…

We say that a knot $k_1$ in the $3$-sphere {\it $1$-dominates} another $k_2$ if there is a proper degree 1 map $E(k_1) \to E(k_2)$ between their exteriors, and write $k_1 \ge k_2$. When $k_1 \ge k_2$ but $k_1 \ne k_2$ we write $k_1 > k_2$.…

Finite-order invariants of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds (including non-orientable ones) are constructed and studied by methods of the topology of discriminant sets. Obstructions to the integrability of admissible weight systems to…

We show that, for any prime p, a knot K in the 3-sphere is determined by its p-fold cyclic unbranched covering. We also investigate when the m-fold cyclic unbranched covering of a knot coincides with the n-fold cyclic unbranched covering of…

We describe an action of the concordance group of knots in the three-sphere on concordances of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds. As an application we define the notion of almost-concordance between knots. After some basic results, we prove…

The $k$th module of a surface-knot of a genus $g$ in the 4-sphere is the $k$th integral homology module of the infinite cyclic covering of the surface-knot complement. The reduced first module is the quotient module of the first module by…

A slope $p/q$ is characterising for a knot $K \subset \mathbb{S}^3$ if the orientation-preserving homeomorphism type of the manifold $\mathbb{S}^3_K(p/q)$ obtained by performing Dehn surgery of slope $p/q$ along $K$ uniquely determines the…

If a knot K has Seifert matrix V_K and has a prime power cyclic branched cover that is not a homology sphere, then there is an infinite family of non-concordant knots having Seifert matrix V_K.

An important difference between high dimensional smooth manifolds and smooth 4-manifolds that in a 4-manifold it is not always possible to represent every middle dimensional homology class with a smoothly embedded sphere. This is true even…

We construct an enhanced version of knot contact homology, and show that we can deduce from it the group ring of the knot group together with the peripheral subgroup. In particular, it completely determines a knot up to smooth isotopy. The…

We investigate the concordance properties of `parallel links' P(K), given by the (2,0) cable of a knot K. We focus on the question: if P(K) is concordant to a split link, is K necessarily slice? We show that if P(K) is smoothly concordant…

We study cosmetic surgeries on a knot in a homology sphere. Several constraints on knots and surgery slopes to admit such surgeries are given. Our main ingredient is the rational surgery formula of the Casson--Walker invariant for…

Relative self-linking and linking "numbers" for pairs of knots in oriented 3-manifolds are defined in terms of intersection invariants of immersed surfaces in 4-manifolds. The resulting concordance invariants generalize the usual…

The concordance genus of a knot K is the minimum Seifert genus of all knots smoothly concordant to K. Concordance genus is bounded below by the 4-ball genus and above by the Seifert genus. We give a lower bound for the concordance genus of…

Using spinning we analyze in a geometric way Haefliger's smoothly knotted (4k-1)-spheres in the 6k-sphere. Consider the 2-torus standardly embedded in the 3-sphere, which is further standardly embedded in the 6-sphere. At each point of the…

We give the first examples of a pair of knots $K_1$,$K_2$ in the 3-sphere for which their unknotting numbers satisfy $u(K_1\#K_2)<u(K_1)+u(K_2)$ . This answers question 1.69(B) from Kirby's problem list, "Problems in low-dimensional…

For any knot $K$ which bounds non-orientable and null-homologous surfaces $F$ in punctured $n\mathbb{C}P^2$, we construct a lower bound of the first Betti number of $F$ which consists of the signature of $K$ and the Heegaard Floer…

We prove that there exists a metric of positive curvature in a three-sphere which admits a given torus knot as a closed geodesic.We also sketch a construction of a metric in a four sphere, very likely of positive curvature, which admits a…

We study the linking numbers in a rational homology 3-sphere and in the infinite cyclic cover of the complement of a knot. They take values in $\Bbb Q$ and in ${Q}({\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}])$ respectively, where ${Q}({\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}])$ denotes…