Related papers: Trace-free ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-representation…

Given a link $L$, a representation $\pi_1(S^{3}-L)\to {\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$ is {\it tracefree} if the image of each meridian has trace zero. We determine the conjugacy classes of tracefree representations when $L$ is a Montesinos link.

Suppose L is a link in $S^3$. We show that $\pi_1(S^3-L)$ admits an irreducible meridian-traceless representation in SU(2) if and only if L is not the unknot, the Hopf link, or a connected sum of Hopf links. As a corollary, $\pi_1(S^3-L)$…

We prove the meridional rank conjecture for arborescent links associated to plane trees with the following property: all branching points carry a straight branch to at least three leaves. The proof involves an upper bound on the bridge…

We clarify steps for determining the ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-character variety of any arborescent knot. Interestingly, we show that the `excellent parts' of arborescent knots $K_1,K_2$ are isomorphic if $K_1$ can be related to $K_2$…

Let $T$ be a tree. A vertex of degree one is a \emph{leaf} of $T$ and a vertex of degree at least three is a \emph{branch vertex} of $T$. A graph is said to be claw-free if it does not contain $K_{1,3}$ as an induced subgraph. In this…

We study the structure underlying Ng's conjecture, which relates the degree $0$ abelian knot contact homology of a knot $K$ to the coordinate ring of the $SL_2(\mathbf{C})$-character variety $X(\Sigma_2 K)$ of the $2$-fold branched cover of…

To each link $L$ in $S^3$ we associate a collection of certain labelled directed trees, called width trees. We interpret some classical and new topological link invariants in terms of these width trees and show how the geometric structure…

We compute the Lipschitz-free spaces of subsets of the real line and characterize subsets of metric trees by the fact that their Lipschitz-free space is isometric to a subspace of $L_1$.

Let $T$ be a tree, a vertex of degree one and a vertex of degree at least three is called a leaf and a branch vertex, respectively. The set of leaves of $T$ is denoted by $Leaf(T)$. The subtree $T-Leaf(T)$ of $T$ is called the stem of $T$…

Let $L$ be a link in $S^3$. We consider the class of meridional presentations for $\pi_1(S^3\backslash L)$ in which the relations are witnessed by embedded two-spheres which can be represented simultaneously in a fixed diagram of $L$,…

For any graph $G$, let $t(G)$ be the number of spanning trees of $G$, $L(G)$ be the line graph of $G$ and for any non-negative integer $r$, $S_r(G)$ be the graph obtained from $G$ by replacing each edge $e$ by a path of length $r+1$…

Let K be a knot in an integral homology 3-sphere and let B denote the 2-fold branched cover of the integral homology sphere branched along K. We construct a map from the slice of characters with trace free along meridians in the SL(2,…

The Ptolemy variety for SL(2,C) is an invariant of a topological ideal triangulation of a compact 3-manifold M. It is closely related to Thurston's gluing equation variety. The Ptolemy variety maps naturally to the set of conjugacy classes…

Let $T$ be a tree, a vertex of degree one is a leaf of $T$ and a vertex of degree at least three is a branch vertex of $T$. For two distinct vertices $u,v$ of $T$, let $P_T[u,v]$ denote the unique path in $T$ connecting $u$ and $v.$ For a…

A free surface-link is a surface-link whose fundamental group is a free group not necessarily meridian-based. Free ribbon lemma says that every free sphere-link in the 4-sphere is a ribbon sphere-link. Four different proofs of Free ribbon…

We give a complete characterization of those essential simple loops on 2-bridge spheres of 2-bridge links which are null-homotopic in the link complements. By using this result, we describe all upper-meridian-pair-preserving epimorphisms…

In this paper, we present a complete characterization of mutual-visibility sets in trees. It is shown that a subset $S$ is a mutual-visibility set of a tree $T$ if and only if it coincides with the set of leaves of the Steiner subtree…

Transductions are a general formalism for expressing transformations of graphs (and more generally, of relational structures) in logic. We prove that a graph class $\mathscr{C}$ can be $\mathsf{FO}$-transduced from a class of bounded-height…

We present a link-by-link rule-based method for constructing all members of the ensemble of spanning trees for any recursively generated, finitely articulated graph, such as the DGM net. The recursions allow for many large-scale properties…

Let $L$ be an alternating prime non-split link in $S^3$. We use the category of flypes between reduced alternating diagrams for $L$ to classify involutions on $L$. As consequences, we show that the quotient of an alternating periodic link…