Related papers: Limiting characters at ideal points detecting twic…

We prove a broad generalization of a theorem of W. Burnside on real characters using permutation characters. Under a necessary hypothesis, We can give some control on multiplicities (a result that needs the Classification of Finite Simple…

Let G be the fundamental group of the complement of the torus knot of type (m,n). We study the relationship between SU(2) and SL(2,C)-representations of this group, looking at their characters. Using the description of the SL(2,C)-character…

For $\ell >1$, we develop $L^{(2)}$-signature obstructions for $(4\ell-3)$-dimensional knots with metabelian knot groups to be doubly slice. For each $\ell>1$, we construct an infinite family of knots on which our obstructions are non-zero,…

We give a simple sufficient condition for a spun-normal surface in an ideal triangulation to be incompressible, namely that it is a vertex surface with non-empty boundary which has a quadrilateral in each tetrahedron. While this condition…

Any knot $K$ in genus-$1$ $1$-bridge position can be moved by isotopy to lie in a union of $n$ parallel tori tubed by $n-1$ tubes so that $K$ intersects each tube in two spanning arcs, which we call a leveling of the position. The minimal…

It is shown that the number of distinct types of three-point hinges, defined by a real plane set of $n$ points is $\gg n^2\log^{-3} n$, where a hinge is identified by fixing two pair-wise distances in a point triple. This is achieved via…

We investigate when a Legendrian knot in standard contact $\mathbb{R}^3$ has a non-orientable exact Lagrangian filling. We prove analogs of several results in the orientable setting, develop new combinatorial obstructions to fillability,…

Let M be a compact, connected, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold and T' an incompressible torus boundary component of M such that the pair (M,T') is not cabled. By a result of C. Gordon, if S and T are incompressible punctured tori in M…

For a torus knot K, we bound the crosscap number c(K) in terms of the genus g(K) and crossing number n(K): c(K) \leq [(g(K)+9)/6] and c(K) \leq [(n(K) + 16)/12]. The (6n-2,3) torus knots show that these bounds are sharp.

We study the universal character ring of some families of one-relator groups. As an application, we calculate the universal character ring of two-generator one-relator groups whose relators are palindrome, and, in particular, of the…

Let K be a knot in an integral homology 3-sphere and let B denote the 2-fold branched cover of the integral homology sphere branched along K. We construct a map from the slice of characters with trace free along meridians in the SL(2,…

A pretzel knot $K$ is called $odd$ if all its twist parameters are odd, and $mutant$ $ribbon$ if it is mutant to a simple ribbon knot. We prove that the family of odd, 5-stranded pretzel knots satisfies a weaker version of the Slice-Ribbon…

We study Kauffman's model of folded ribbon knots: knots made of a thin strip of paper folded flat in the plane. The folded ribbonlength is the length to width ratio of such a ribbon knot. We give upper bounds on the folded ribbonlength of…

In the seminal work of Culler and Shalen from 1983, essential surfaces in 3-manifolds are associated to ideal points of their $\text{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})$-character varieties, and connections between the algebraic geometry of the character…

Understanding ideal points in the character varieties of knot complements has led to a number of important invariants for 3-manifolds. Ohtsuki (1994) counted the ideal points for character varieties of 2-bridge knot complements, and he made…

We show that for any knot there exist only finitely many irreducible metabelian characters in the $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$-character variety of the knot group, and the number is given explicitly by using the determinant of the knot. Then it turns…

Frequently, knots are enumerated by their crossing number. However, the number of knots with crossing number $c$ grows exponentially with $c$, and to date computer-assisted proofs can only classify diagrams up to around twenty crossings.…

We address the problem of computing bounds for the self-intersection number (the minimum number of self-intersection points) of members of a free homotopy class of curves in the doubly-punctured plane as a function of their combinatorial…

For each even classical pretzel knot $P(2k_1+1,2k_2+1,2k_3)$, we determine the character variety of irreducible ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-representations, and clarify the steps of computing its A-polynomial.

For pairs of knots K and J in the three-sphere, we consider the set of four-tuples of integers (g,x,y,z) for which there is a cobordism from K to J of genus g having x, y, and z, critical points of index 0, 1, and 2, respectively. We…