Related papers: Double branched covers of theta-curves

We study theta-curves embedded in a standard torus in the 3-sphere. We show that each nontrivial torus knot together with an essential arc determines a prime theta-curve, yielding explicit infinite families of prime theta-curves. We compute…

We show that if a composite $\theta$-curve has (proper rational) unknotting number one, then it is the order 2 sum of a (proper rational) unknotting number one knot and a trivial $\theta$-curve. We also prove similar results for 2-strand…

We prove that each prime knot union an essential arc on a minimal genus Seifert surface is a prime theta-curve.

We establish an existence and uniqueness theorem for prime decompositions of theta-curves in $3$-manifolds.

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 obtain an analogue of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere called expanding Thurston maps $f$, which are topological models of some rational maps without any smoothness or holomorphicity…

A theta curve is a spatial embedding of the $\theta$-graph in the three-sphere, taken up to ambient isotopy. We define the determinant of a theta curve as an integer-valued invariant arising from the first homology of its Klein cover. When…

We prove that a prime knot K is not determined by its p-fold cyclic branched cover for at most two odd primes p. Moreover, we show that for a given odd prime p, the p-fold cyclic branched cover of a prime knot K is the p-fold cyclic…

We show that Gromov-Thurston branched covers satisfy the Singer conjecture whenever the degree of the cover is not divisible by a finite set of primes determined by the base manifold and the branch locus.

Every element in the first cohomology group of a 3--manifold is dual to embedded surfaces. The Thurston norm measures the minimal `complexity' of such surfaces. For instance the Thurston norm of a knot complement determines the genus of the…

In 1976, Thurston proved that taut foliations on closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds have Euler class of norm at most one, and conjectured that conversely, any integral second cohomology class with norm equal to one is the Euler class of a taut…

The Kinoshita graph is a particular embedding in the 3-sphere of a graph with three edges, two vertices and no loops. It has the remarkable property that although the removal of any edge results in an unknotted loop, the Kinoshita graph is…

We obtain an analog of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere $S^2$ called expanding Thurston maps, which are topological models of some non-uniformly expanding rational maps without any smoothness…

In the second paper [LZ24b] of this series, we obtained an analog of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere $S^2$ called expanding Thurston maps, which are topological models of some non-uniformly…

We obtain an analog of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere $S^2$ called expanding Thurston maps, which are topological models of some non-uniformly expanding rational maps without any smoothness…

For any integer n > 2, the n-fold cyclic branched cover M of an alternating prime knot K in the 3-sphere determines K, meaning that if K is a knot in the 3-sphere that is not equivalent to K then its n-fold cyclic branched cover cannot be…

Kirby and Lickorish showed that every knot in the 3-sphere is concordant to a prime knot, equivalently, every concordance class contains a prime knot. We prove here that their result can be strengthened: Every knot in the 3-sphere is…

In this article we give necessary and sufficient conditions for two triples of integers to be realized as the Thurston-Bennequin number and the rotation number of a Legendrian theta-graph with all cycles unknotted. We show that these…

We show that the problem of determining whether a knot in the 3-sphere is non-trivial lies in NP. This is a consequence of the following more general result. The problem of determining whether the Thurston norm of a second homology class in…

A nontrivial $\theta$-curve in $S^3$ is Brunnian if each of its cycles is the unknot. We show that if the exterior of a Brunnian $\theta$-curve is atoroidal, then it does not contain an essential annulus. Previously, Ozawa-Tsutsumi showed…