Related papers: Classification of small links in the unmarked soli…
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 explore a knot invariant derived from colorings of corresponding $1$-tangles with arbitrary connected quandles. When the quandle is an abelian extension of a certain type the invariant is equivalent to the quandle $2$-cocycle invariant.…
This thesis develops some general calculational techniques for finding the orders of knots in the topological concordance group C. The techniques currently available in the literature are either too theoretical, applying to only a small…
We develop an invariant of knots that depends on a complex parameter t, describing a left ideal in the noncommutative torus. When the parameter is set equal to -1 we recover the A-polynomial of the knot. We relate the invariant to the…
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…
Tying knots and linking microscopic loops of polymers, macromolecules, or defect lines in complex materials is a challenging task for material scientists. We demonstrate the knotting of microscopic topological defect lines in chiral nematic…
We give infinitely many $2$-component links with unknotted components which are topologically concordant to the Hopf link, but not smoothly concordant to any $2$-component link with trivial Alexander polynomial. Our examples are pairwise…
The state of a knot is defined in the realm of Chern-Simons topological quantum field theory as a holomorphic section on the SU(2) character manifold of the peripheral torus. We compute the asymptotics of the torus knot states in terms of…
Examples of knots and links distinguished by the total rank of their Khovanov homology but sharing the same two-fold branched cover are given. As a result, Khovanov homology does not yield an invariant of two-fold branched covers.
A theorem of Kronheimer and Mrowka states that Khovanov homology is able to detect the unknot. That is, if a knot has the Khovanov homology of the unknot, then it is equivalent to it. Similar results hold for the trefoils and the…
We extend knot contact homology to a theory over the ring $\mathbb{Z}[\lambda^{\pm 1},\mu^{\pm 1}]$, with the invariant given topologically and combinatorially. The improved invariant, which is defined for framed knots in $S^3$ and can be…
In this paper, we extend the definition of a knotoid that was introduced by Turaev, to multi-linkoids that consist of a number of knot and knotoid components. We study invariants of multi-linkoids that lie in a closed orientable surface,…
In this study of the Reidemeister moves within the classical knot theory, we focus on hard diagrams of knots and links, categorizing them as either rigid or shaky based on their adaptability to certain moves. We establish that every link…
The concordance orders of many algebraic order two knots of ten or fewer crossings have been heretofore unknown. We use Casson-Gordon invariants and twisted Alexander polynomials to find that, in all but one case, these knots do not have…
A Gauss diagram is a simple, combinatorial way to present a knot. It is known that any Vassiliev invariant may be obtained from a Gauss diagram formula that involves counting (with signs and multiplicities) subdiagrams of certain…
We produce a facial state sum on plane diagrams of a knot or a link which admits an invariant specialization under Polyak's recent set of generating of 4 Reidemeister moves. Thus an isotopy invariant of framed links is obtained. Each state…
When restricted to alternating links, both Heegaard Floer and Khovanov homology concentrate along a single diagonal $\delta$-grading. This leads to the broader class of thin links that one would like to characterize without reference to the…
The aim of this paper is to define two link invariants satisfying cubic skein relations. In the hierarchy of polynomial invariants determined by explicit skein relations they are the next level of complexity after Jones, HOMFLY, Kauffman…
In this paper we define and give examples of a family of polynomial invariants of virtual knots and links. They arise by considering certain 2$\times$2 matrices with entries in a possibly non-commutative ring, for example the quaternions.…
We use planar 4-valent graphs and a graphical calculus involving such graphs to construct an invariant for balanced-oriented, knotted 4-valent graphs. Our invariant is an extension of the $sl(n)$ polynomial for classical knots and links. We…