Related papers: Notes on unknotting algorithms using normal surfac…

We present three "hard" diagrams of the unknot. They require (at least) three extra crossings before they can be simplified to the trivial unknot diagram via Reidemeister moves in $\mathbb{S}^2$. Both examples are constructed by applying…

Tollefson described a variant of normal surface theory for 3-manifolds, called Q-theory, where only the quadrilateral coordinates are used. Suppose $M$ is a triangulated, compact, irreducible, boundary-irreducible 3-manifold. In Q-theory,…

This paper develops an algorithm that identifies and decomposes a median graph of a triangulation of a 2-dimensional (2D) oriented bordered surface and in addition restores all corresponding triangulation whenever they exist. The algorithm…

We present four models for a random graph and show that, in each case, the probability that a graph is intrinsically knotted goes to one as the number of vertices increases. We also argue that, for $k \geq 18$, most graphs of order $k$ are…

This paper is an introduction to the subject of virtual knot theory, combined with a discussion of some specific new theorems about virtual knots. The new results are as follows: We prove, using a 3-dimensional topology approach that if a…

In this article we classify normal forms and unfoldings of linear maps in eigenspaces of (anti)-automorphisms of order two. Our main motivation is provided by applications to linear systems of ordinary differential equations, general and…

In this paper we find a family of knots with trivial Alexander polynomial, and construct two non-isotopic Seifert surfaces for each member in our family. In order to distinguish the surfaces we study the sutured Floer homology invariants of…

The aim of this survey article is to highlight several notoriously intractable problems about knots and links, as well as to provide a brief discussion of what is known about them.

In earlier work, the authors introduced a conjecture which, for an orientation-preserving diffeomorphism $\varphi \colon S \to S$ of a surface, connects a certain quantum invariant of $\varphi$ with the hyperbolic volume of its mapping…

We present computational results about quasi-alternating knots and links and odd homology obtained by looking at link families in the Conway notation. More precisely, we list quasi-alternating links up to 12 crossings and the first examples…

We use the rational Witt class of a knot in the 3-sphere as a tool for addressing questions about its unknotting number. We apply these tools to several low crossing knots (151 knots with 11 crossing and 100 knots with 12 crossings) and to…

In this article we study the possibilities of recovering the structure of port-Hamiltonian systems starting from ``unlabelled'' ordinary differential equations describing mechanical systems. The algorithm we suggest solves the problem in…

A knot in the three-sphere is doubly slice if it is the cross-section of an unknotted two-sphere in the four-sphere. For low-crossing knots, the most complete work to date gives a classification of doubly slice knots through 9 crossings. We…

Let K be a knot that has an unknotting tunnel tau. We prove that K admits a strong involution that fixes tau pointwise if and only if K is a two-bridge knot and tau its upper or lower tunnel.

We state a combinatorial optimization problem whose feasible solutions define both a decomposition and a node labeling of a given graph. This problem offers a common mathematical abstraction of seemingly unrelated computer vision tasks,…

Knitting, an ancient fiber art, creates a structured fabric consisting of loops or stitches. Publishing hand knitting patterns involves lengthy testing periods and numerous knitters. Modeling knitting patterns with graphs can help expedite…

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…

In their paper `A new algorithm for recognizing the unknot', in Geometry and Topology', 2 (1998) n. 9, 175-220, the first author and Michael Hirsch presented a then new algorithm for recognizing the unknot. The first part of the algorithm…

In this note, I describe a formalism for treating knots as geometric spaces, and make an application to a simple statistical mechanics computation. The motivation for this study is the natural visual symmetry of the knot, and I describe how…

We introduce a new combinatorial method to encode knots and links with applications to knot invariants. Clasp diagrams defined in this paper are combinatorial blueprints for building knot diagrams out of full twists on two strings rather…