Related papers: The C-complex clasp number of links
An oriented link is called $\mathbb C$-boundary if it is realizable as $(\partial B,A\cap\partial B)$ where $A$ is an algebraic curve in $\mathbb C^2$ and $B$ is an embedded $4$-ball. This notion was introduced by Michel Boileau and Lee…
In 2000, Habiro introduced the notion of $C_k$-equivalence of knots and links. This geometric filtration is closely connected to finite type invariants, a class of invariants including Milnor's invariants. Shortly thereafter, Ohyama,…
In the 1950's Milnor defined a family of higher order invariants generalizing the linking number. Even the first of these new invariants, the triple linking number, has received and fruitful study since its inception. In the case that $L$…
We introduce a natural-valued complexity c(X) for pairs X=(M,L), where M is a closed orientable 3-manifold and L is a link contained in M. The definition employs simple spines, but for well-behaved X's we show that c(X) equals the minimal…
The splitting number of a link is the minimal number of crossing changes between different components required, on any diagram, to convert it to a split link. We introduce new techniques to compute the splitting number, involving covering…
For a knot K, the concordance crosscap number, c(K), is the minimum crosscap number among all knots concordant to K. Building on work of G. Zhang, which studied the determinants of knots with c(K) < 2, we apply the Alexander polynomial to…
In groundbreaking work from 2004, Cimasoni gave a geometric computation of the multivariable Conway potential function in terms of a generalization of a Seifert surface for a link called a C-complex. Lemma 3 of that paper provides a family…
We define the crosscap number of a 2-component link as the minimum of the first Betti numbers of connected, non-orientable surfaces bounding the link. We discuss some properties of the crosscap numbers of 2-component links.
A triple crossing is a crossing in a projection of a knot or link that has three strands of the knot passing straight through it. A triple crossing projection is a projection such that all of the crossings are triple crossings. We prove…
The weak splitting number $wsp(L)$ of a link $L$ is the minimal number of crossing changes needed to turn $L$ into a split union of knots. We describe conditions under which certain $\mathbb{R}$-valued link invariants give lower bounds on…
Any two knots admit orientation preserving homeomorphic Seifert surfaces, as can be seen by stabilizing. There is a generalization of a Seifert surface to the setting of links called a C-complex. In this paper, we ask when two links will…
This paper is expository and is accessible to students. We define simple invariants of knots or links (linking number, Arf-Casson invariants and Alexander-Conway polynomials) motivated by interesting results whose statements are accessible…
J.P. Levine introduced a clover link to investigate the indeterminacy of the Milnor invariants of a link. It is shown that for a clover link, the Milnor numbers of length at most $2k+1$ are well-defined if those of length at most $k$…
Symmetries of knots have been studied extensively, and strongly invertible knots are one of them. Lamm defined the equivariant crossing number $c_t(K)$, the minimum crossing number among all symmetric diagrams for a strongly invertible knot…
The three-page index $\alpha_3(L)$ is an invariant that measures the complexity of representing a link $L$ in a three-page book. It is known that $\alpha_3(L)$ admits a linear upper bound in terms of the crossing number, with equality…
A graph is c-closed if every pair of vertices with at least c common neighbors is adjacent. The c-closure of a graph G is the smallest number such that G is c-closed. Fox et al. [ICALP '18] defined c-closure and investigated it in the…
We show that for a large class of hyperbolic knots and links, we can determine bounds on the volume of the link complement from combinatorial information given by a link diagram. Specifically, there is a universal constant C such that if a…
The splitting number of a link is the minimal number of crossing changes between different components required to convert it into a split link. We obtain a lower bound on the splitting number in terms of the (multivariable) signature and…
The smallest number of cliques, covering all edges of a graph $ G $, is called the (edge) clique cover number of $ G $ and is denoted by $ cc(G) $. It is an easy observation that for every line graph $ G $ with $ n $ vertices, $cc(G)\leq n…
In an earlier note [arXiv:2301.00295] it was shown that there is an upper bound to the number of disjoint Hopf links (and certain related links) that can be embedded in the unit cube where there is a fixed separation required between the…