Related papers: Bridge numbers for virtual and welded knots
We define new notions of groups of virtual and welded knots (or links) and we study their relations with other invariants, in particular the Kauffman group of a virtual knot.
If a knot K in a closed, orientable 3-manifold M has a bridge surface T with distance at least 3 in the curve complex of T - K, then the genus of any essential surface in its exterior with non-empty, non-meridional boundary gives rise to an…
We introduce a new numerical invariant of knots and links from the descending diagrams. It is considered to live between the unknotting number and the bridge number.
We show that any virtual or welded period of a classical knot $K$ can be realized as a classical period. A direct consequence is that a classical knot admits only finitely many virtual or welded periods.
Geometric interpretations of some virtual knot invariants are given in terms of invariants of links in $\mathbb{S}^3$. Alexander polynomials of almost classical knots are shown to be specializations of the multi-variable Alexander…
We provide a new proof of the following results of H. Schubert: If K is a satellite knot with companion J and pattern L that lies in a solid torus T in which it has index k, then the bridge numbers satisfy the following: 1) The bridge…
In this paper we are interested in BB knots, namely knots and links where the bridge index equals the braid index. Supported by observations from experiments, it is conjectured that BB knots possess a special geometric/physical property…
We observe that any knot invariant extends to virtual knots. The isotopy classification problem for virtual knots is reduced to an algebraic problem formulated in terms of an algebra of arrow diagrams. We introduce a new notion of finite…
The theory of welded and extended welded knots is a generalization of classical knot theory. Welded (resp. extended welded) knot diagrams include virtual crossings (resp. virtual crossings and wen marks) and are equivalent under an extended…
Virtual knot theory is a generalization (discovered by the author in 1996) of knot theory to the study of all oriented Gauss codes. (Classical knot theory is a study of planar Gauss codes.) Graph theory studies non-planar graphs via…
We construct graph-valued analogues of the Kuperberg sl(3) and G2 invariants for virtual knots. The restriction of the sl(3) or G2 invariants for classical knots coincides with the usual Homflypt sl(3) invariant and G2 invariants. For…
We show that there are hyperbolic tunnel-number one knots with arbitrarily high bridge number and that "most" tunnel-number one knots are not one-bridge with respect to an unknotted torus. The proof relies on a connection between bridge…
We define and compare several natural ways to compute the bridge number of a knot diagram. We study bridge numbers of crossing number minimizing diagrams, as well as the behavior of diagrammatic bridge numbers under the connected sum…
We introduce a new technique for studying classical knots with the methods of virtual knot theory. Let $K$ be a knot and $J$ a knot in the complement of $K$ with $\text{lk}(J,K)=0$. Suppose there is covering space $\pi_J: \Sigma \times…
Given a group endowed with a Z/2-valued morphism we associate a Gauss diagram theory, and show that for a particular choice of the group these diagrams encode faithfully virtual knots on a given arbitrary surface. This theory contains all…
This paper is an introduction to the subject of virtual knot theory, combined with a discussion of some specific new theorems about virtual knots. The new results are as follows: We prove, using a 3-dimensional topology approach that if a…
We introduce a theory of virtual Legendrian knots. A virtual Legendrian knot is a cooriented wavefront on an oriented surface up to Legendrian isotopy of its lift to the unit cotangent bundle and stabilization and destablization of the…
In the present paper we give a new method for converting virtual knots and links to virtual braids. Indeed the braiding method given in this paper is quite general, and applies to all the categories in which braiding can be accomplished. We…
Given a virtual knot $K$, we construct a group $VG_K$ called the virtual knot group, and we use the elementary ideals of $VG_K$ to define invariants of $K$ called the virtual Alexander invariants. For instance, associated to the $k=0$ ideal…
For a knot diagram $K$, the classical knot group $\pi_1(K)$ is a free group modulo relations determined by Wirtinger-type relations on the classical crossings. The classical knot group is invariant under the Reidemeister moves. In this…