Related papers: A new unknotting operation for classical and welde…
Arnold introduced invariants $J^+$, $J^-$ and $St$ for generic planar curves. It is known that both $J^+ /2 + St$ and $J^- /2 + St$ are invariants for generic spherical curves. Applying these invariants to underlying curves of knot…
We study random knotting by considering knot and link diagrams as decorated, (rooted) topological maps on spheres and pulling them uniformly from among sets of a given number of vertices $n$, as first established in recent work with…
A knot is a circle piecewise-linearly embedded into the 3-sphere. The topology of a knot is intimately related to that of its exterior, which is the complement of an open regular neighborhood of the knot. Knots are typically encoded by…
We construct various functorial maps (projections) from virtual knots to classical knots. These maps are defined on diagrams of virtual knots; in terms of Gauss diagram each of them can be represented as a deletion of some chords. The…
This paper gives new and elementary combinatorial topological proofs of the classification of unoriented and oriented rational knots and links. These proofs are based on the known classification of alternating knots through flyping, and the…
A pseudodiagram is a diagram of a knot with some crossing information missing. We review and expand the theory of pseudodiagrams introduced by R. Hanaki. We then extend this theory to the realm of virtual knots, a generalization of knots.…
We introduce and study knotoids. Knotoids are represented by diagrams in a surface which differ from the usual knot diagrams in that the underlying curve is a segment rather than a circle. Knotoid diagrams are considered up to Reidemeister…
These notes present two normal surface theory algorithms to detect the unknot and use the split-link algorithm to prove that the figure-eight knot is knotted.
Given a knot in the three-sphere, is it possible to unknot it by performing a single twist, and if so, what are the possible linking numbers of such a twist? We develop obstructions to unknotting using a twist of a specified linking number.…
Two welded (respectively virtual) link diagrams are homotopic if one may be transformed into the other by a sequence of extended Reidemeister moves, classical Reidemeister moves, and self crossing changes. In this paper, we extend Milnor's…
We describe an algorithm to find ribbon disks for alternating knots, and the results of a computer implementation of this algorithm. The algorithm is underlain by a slice link obstruction coming from Donaldson's diagonalisation theorem. It…
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 generalize the idea of unknotting knots to Seifert surfaces. We define an operation called ribbon twist which serves as the equivalent of a crossing change for knots. A Seifert surface is considered untwisted, the equivalent to…
We make use of the 3D nature of knots and links to find savings in computational complexity when computing knot invariants such as the linking number and, in general, most finite type invariants. These savings are achieved in comparison…
In this survey paper we present the $L$--moves between braids and how they can adapt and serve for establishing and proving braid equivalence theorems for various diagrammatic settings, such as for classical knots, for knots in knot…
Disentangling two or more cables requires many steps to remove crossings between and within cables. We formalize the problem of disentangling multiple cables and present an algorithm, Iterative Reduction Of Non-planar Multiple cAble kNots…
We use Heegaard Floer homology to give obstructions to unknotting a knot with a single crossing change. These restrictions are particularly useful in the case where the knot in question is alternating. As an example, we use them to classify…
We prove that certain problems naturally arising in knot theory are NP--hard or NP--complete. These are the problems of obtaining one diagram from another one of a link in a bounded number of Reidemeister moves, determining whether a link…
In this paper, we approach the challenging problem of motion planning for knot tying. We propose a hierarchical approach in which the top layer produces a topological plan and the bottom layer translates this plan into continuous robot…
Knot diagrams are among the most common visual tools in topology. Computer programs now make it possible to draw, manipulate and render them digitally, which proves to be useful in knot theory teaching and research. Still, an openly…