Related papers: Cabling Conjecture for Small Bridge Number

Suppose $K$ is a knot in a closed 3-manifold $M$ such that $\bar{M-N(K)}$ is irreducible. We show that for any positive integer $b$ there exists a triangulation of $\bar{M-N(K)}$ such that any weakly incompressible bridge surface for $K$ of…

We study the behavior of the degree of the colored Jones polynomial and the boundary slopes of knots under the operation of cabling. We show that, under certain hypothesis on this degree, if a knot $K$ satisfies the Slope Conjecture then a…

We produce embeddings of knots in thin position that admit compressible thin levels. We also find the bridge number of tangle sums where each tangle is high distance.

The stable Kauffman conjecture posits that a knot in $S^3$ is slice if and only if it admits a slice derivative. We prove a related statement: A knot is handle-ribbon (also called strongly homotopy-ribbon) in a homotopy 4-ball $B$ if and…

Let K' be a hyperbolic knot in S^3 and suppose that some Dehn surgery on K' with distance at least 3 from the meridian yields a 3-manifold M of Heegaard genus 2. We show that if M does not contain an embedded Dyck's surface (the closed…

We discuss an obstruction to a knot being smoothly slice that comes from minimum-genus bounds on smoothly embedded surfaces in definite 4-manifolds. As an example, we provide an alternate proof of the fact that the (2,1)-cable of the figure…

The Property P Conjecture, which was settled by Kronheimer and Mrowka, asserts that every $3$--manifold obtained by non-trivial Dehn surgery on a non-trivial knot is never simply connected. We propose new perspectives in studying Dehn…

In this paper, we use Heegaard Floer homology to study reducible surgeries. In particular, suppose K is a non-cable knot in the three-sphere with an L-space surgery. If p-surgery on K is reducible, we show that p equals 2g(K)-1. This…

In this paper, we study reducible surgeries on knots in $S^3$. We develop thickness bounds for L-space knots that admit reducible surgeries, and lower bounds on the slice genus for general knots that admit reducible surgeries. The L-space…

This is a companion paper to earlier work of the author, which generalizes to an infinite family of $(2,2w+1)$-cabling of the figure eight knot ($|w|>3$) and proposes general formulas for the two-variable series invariant of the family of…

We confirm the AJ conjecture [Ga04] that relates the A-polynomial and the colored Jones polynomial for those hyperbolic knots satisfying certain conditions. In particular, we show that the conjecture holds true for some classes of…

We classify Dehn surgeries on (p,q,r) pretzel knots that result in a manifold of finite fundamental group. The only hyperbolic pretzel knots that admit non-trivial finite surgeries are (-2,3,7) and (-2,3,9). Agol and Lackenby's 6-theorem…

We show that two-bridge knots and alternating fibered knots admit no purely cosmetic surgeries, i.e., no pair of distinct Dehn surgeries on such a knot produce 3-manifolds that are homeomorphic as oriented manifolds. Our argument, based on…

We extend techniques due to Pardon to show that there is a lower bound on the distortion of a knot in $\mathbb{R}^3$ proportional to the minimum of the bridge distance and the bridge number of the knot. We also exhibit an infinite family of…

A bridge position of a knot is said to be perturbed if there exists a cancelling pair of bridge disks. Motivated by the examples of knots admitting unperturbed strongly irreducible non-minimal bridge positions due to…

It has been conjectured that the algebraic crossing number of a link is uniquely determined in minimal braid representation. This conjecture is true for many classes of knots and links. The Morton-Franks-Williams inequality gives a lower…

In this paper, we prove that the fundamental group of the manifold obtained by Dehn surgery along a $(-2,3,2s+1)$-pretzel knot ($s\ge 3$) with slope $\frac{p}{q}$ is not left orderable if $\frac{p}{q}\ge 2s+3$, and that it is left orderable…

The fusion number of a ribbon knot is the minimal number of 1-handles needed to construct a ribbon disk. The strong homotopy fusion number of a ribbon knot is the minimal number of 2-handles in a handle decomposition of a ribbon disk…

In this paper, we give the trivializing number of all minimal diagrams of positive 2-bridge knots, and study the relation between the trivializing number and the unknotting number for a part of these knots.

Consider a continuous flow in $\mathbb{R}^3$ or any orientable $3$-manifold. Let $(Q_1, Q_0)$ be an index pair in the sense of Conley and consider the region $N := \overline{Q_1 - Q_0}$. (An example of this is a compact $3$-manifold $N$…