Related papers: Thin position for knots, links, and graphs in 3-ma…
In this self-contained book, following Edward Witten, Maxim Kontsevich, Greg Kuperberg and Dylan Thurston, we define an invariant Z of framed links in rational homology 3-spheres, and we study its properties. The invariant Z, which is often…
Ng constructed an invariant of knots in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$, a combinatorial knot contact homology. Extending his study, we construct an invariant of surface-knots in ${\mathbb{R}}^4$ using marked graph diagrams.
We extend the notion of intersection graphs for knots in the theory of finite type invariants to string links. We use our definition to develop weight systems for string links via the adjacency matrix of the intersection graph, and show…
Graph manifolds are a class of compact, orientable 3-manifolds introduced in 1967 by Waldhausen as a generalization of Seifert fibered 3-manifolds. From the point of view of Thurston's geometrization program, graph manifolds are exactly the…
It has been conjectured that for knots $K$ and $K'$ in $S^3$, $w(K#K')= w(K)+w(K')-2$. Scharlemann and Thompson have proposed potential counterexamples to this conjecture. For every $n$, they proposed a family of knots ${K^n_i}$ for which…
A bridge trisection of a smooth surface in $S^4$ is a decomposition analogous to a bridge splitting of a link in $S^3$. The Kirby-Thompson invariant of a bridge trisection measures its complexity in terms of distances between disc sets in…
Scharlemann and Thompson define the width of a 3-manifold M as a notion of complexity based on the topology of M. Their original definition had the property that the adjacency relation on handles gave a linear order on handles, but here we…
Bott--Cattaneo's theory defines the integral invariants for a framed rational homology 3-sphere equipped with an acyclic orthogonal local system, in terms of graph cocycles without self-loops. The 2-loop term of their invariants is…
In this note, we extend the theory of Chern-Cheeger-Simons to construct canonical invariants for a one-parameter family of flat connections on a smooth manifold. These invariants lie in degrees $(2p-2)$-cohomology with $\C/\Z$-cohomology,…
In the paper we introduce the construction of invariants for 3-manifolds, based on the same key concepts as the classical Dijkgraaf-Witten invariant. We introduce the notion of a special $G$-system and describe how each system induces the…
We introduce an invariant of alternating knots and links (called here WRP), namely a pair of integer polynomials associated with their two checkerboard planar graphs from their minimal diagram. We prove that the invariant is well-defined…
A group invariant for links in thickened closed orientable surfaces is studied. Associated polynomial invariants are defined. The group detects nontriviality of a virtual link and determines its virtual genus.
This article presents a survey of some recent results in the theory of spatial graphs. In particular, we highlight results related to intrinsic knotting and linking and results about symmetries of spatial graphs. In both cases we consider…
The graded algebra Lambda defined by Pierre Vogel is of general interest in the theory of finite-type invariants of knots and of 3-manifolds because it acts on the corresponding spaces of connected graphs subject to relations called IHX and…
We define three different types of spanning surfaces for knots in thickened surfaces. We use these to introduce new Seifert matrices, Alexander-type polynomials, genera, and a signature invariant. One of these Alexander polynomials extends…
An elementary introduction to knot theory and its link to quantum field theory is presented with an intention to provide details of some basic calculations in the subject, which are not easily found in texts. Study of Chern-Simons theory…
We review the construction of Heegaard Floer homology for closed three-manifolds and also for knots and links in the three-sphere. We also discuss three applications of this invariant to knot theory: studying the Thurston norm of a link…
Symmetry of geometrical figures is reflected in regularities of their algebraic invariants. Algebraic regularities are often preserved when the geometrical figure is topologically deformed. The most natural, intuitively simple but…
We construct a cobordism group for embedded graphs in two different ways, first by using sequences of two basic operations, called "fusion" and "fission", which in terms of cobordisms correspond to the basic cobordisms obtained by attaching…
We explain new developments in classical knot theory in 3 and 4~dimensions, i.e. we study knots in 3-space, up to isotopy as well as up to concordance. In dimension~3 we give a geometric interpretation of the Kontsevich integral (joint with…