Related papers: A characterization of $T_{2g+1,2}$ among alternati…

We investigate the twisted Alexander polynomial of a 2-bridge knot associated to a Fox coloring. For several families of 2-bridge knots, including but not limited to, torus knots and genus-one knots, we derive formulae for these twisted…

Fox conjectured the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is trapezoidal, i.e. the coefficients first increase, then stabilize and finally decrease in a symmetric way. Recently, Hirasawa and Murasugi further conjectured a relation…

Twisted torus knots are a generalization of torus knots, obtained by introducing additional full twists to adjacent strands of the torus knots. In this article, we present an explicit formula for the Alexander polynomial of twisted torus…

Let $H(p)$ be the set of 2-bridge knots $K$ whose group $G$ is mapped onto a non-trivial free product, $Z/2 * Z/p$, $p$ being odd. Then there is an algebraic integer $s_0$ such that for any $K$ in $H(p)$, $G$ has a parabolic representation…

A long standing open conjecture states that if a link $\mathcal{K}$ is alternating, then its ropelength $L(\mathcal{K})$ is at least of the order $O(Cr(\mathcal{K}))$. A recent result shows that the maximum braid index of a link bounds the…

We will show that if $K$ is a knot of prime period $p>2$ and whose Alexander polynomial $\Delta_K(t)$ is monic and of degree $p-1$, then $\Delta_K(t)$ is uniquely determined only by $p$.

A conjecture proposed by J. Tripp in 2002 states that the crossing number of any knot coincides with the canonical genus of its Whitehead double. In the meantime, it has been established that this conjecture is true for a large class of…

The A-polynomial of a knot is defined in terms of SL(2,C) representations of the knot group, and encodes information about essential surfaces in the knot complement. In 2005, Dunfield-Garoufalidis and Boyer-Zhang proved that it detects the…

We establish a Kauffman-Murasugi-Thistlethwaite-type theorem for alternating knots in a solid torus. Specifically, we show that any dotted-reduced alternating diagram of a knot in a handlebody realizes the minimal crossing number, and that…

We study the twisted Alexander polynomial $\Delta_{K,\rho}$ of a knot $K$ associated to a non-abelian representation $\rho$ of the knot group into $SL_2(\BC)$. It is known for every knot $K$ that if $K$ is fibered, then for every…

The Alexander polynomials \Delta_{n,3}(t) and \Delta_{n,4}(t) are presented as a sum of the Alexander polynomials \Delta_{k,2}(t). These polynomials are also expressed in the form of a sum of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind. These…

Let \nu be any integer-valued additive knot invariant that bounds the smooth 4-genus of a knot K, |\nu(K)| <= g_4(K), and determines the 4-ball genus of positive torus knots, \nu(T_{p,q}) = (p-1)(q-1)/2. Either of the knot concordance…

Every torus knot can be represented as a Fourier-(1,1,2) knot which is the simplest possible Fourier representation for such a knot. This answers a question of Kauffman and confirms the conjecture made by Boocher, Daigle, Hoste and Zheng.…

The trapezoidal Fox conjecture states that the coefficient sequence of the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is unimodal. We are motivated by a harder question, the strong Fox conjecture, which asks whether the coefficient…

The central question of knot theory is that of distinguishing links up to isotopy. The first polynomial invariant of links devised to help answer this question was the Alexander polynomial (1928). Almost a century after its introduction, it…

A torus-covering $T^2$-knot is a surface-knot of genus one determined from a pair of commutative braids. For a torus-covering $T^2$-knot $F$, we determine the number of irreducible metabelian $SU(2)$-representations of the knot group of $F$…

A torti-rational knot, denoted by K(2a,b|r), is a knot obtained from the 2-bridge link B(2a,b) by applying Dehn twists an arbitrary number of times, r, along one component of B(2a,b). We determine the genus of K(2a,b|r) and solve a question…

Torus knots are an important family of knots about which much is understood; invariants of torus knots often exhibit nice formulas, making them convenient and fundamental building blocks for examples in knot theory. Spiral knots, defined…

We calculate the twisted Alexander polynomials of $(-2,3,2n+1)$-pretzel knots associated to their holonomy representations. As a corollary, we obtain new supporting evidences of Dunfield, Friedl and Jackson's conjecture, that is, the…

We give a geometric proof of the following result of Juhasz. \emph{Let $a_g$ be the leading coefficient of the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot $K$. If $|a_g|<4$ then $K$ has a unique minimal genus Seifert surface.} In doing so,…