Related papers: Is every knot isotopic to the unknot?

We present an elementary derivation of the "intrinsic" symmetry groups for knots and links of 8 or fewer crossings. The standard symmetry group for a link is the mapping class group $\MCG(S^3,L)$ or $\Sym(L)$ of the pair $(S^3,L)$. Elements…

Let $f:S^1\to R$ be a generic map. We may use $f$ to define a new map $\tilde{f}:S^1\to R^3$ by $\tilde{f}(t) = (-f(t),f'(t),-f''(t))$, and if $f$ is an embedding then the image of $\tilde{f}$ will be a knot. Knots defined by such…

We call a knot in the 3-sphere $SU(2)$-simple if all representations of the fundamental group of its complement which map a meridian to a trace-free element in $SU(2)$ are binary dihedral. This is a generalisation of being a 2-bridge knot.…

We show that, for any prime p, a knot K in the 3-sphere is determined by its p-fold cyclic unbranched covering. We also investigate when the m-fold cyclic unbranched covering of a knot coincides with the n-fold cyclic unbranched covering of…

We discuss an infinite class of metabelian Von Neumann rho-invariants. Each one is a homomorphism from the monoid of knots to the real line. In general they are not well defined on the concordance group. Nonetheless, we show that they pass…

We apply the conormal construction to a hyperbolic knot $K \subset S^3$, and study the sutured contact manifold $(V, \xi)$ obtained by taking the complement of a standard neighbourhood of the unit conormal $\La_K \subset (ST^*S^3,…

We consider homologically essential simple closed curves on Seifert surfaces of genus one knots in $S^3$, and in particular those that are unknotted or slice in $S^3$. We completely characterize all such curves for most twist knots: they…

The main result of this paper is a negative answer to the question: are all transversal knot types transversally simple? An explicit infinite family of examples is given of closed 3-braids that define transversal knot types that are not…

We show that if a positive integral surgery on a knot K inside a homology sphere X with Seifert genus g(K) results in an induced knot K_n in X_n(K)=Y which has simple Floer homology, we should have n>=2g(K). Moreover, if X is the standard…

We prove that loose Legendrian knots in a rational homology contact 3-sphere, satisfying some additional hypothesis, are Legendrian isotopic if and only if they have the same classical invariants. The proof requires a result of Dymara on…

We show that all large enough positive integral surgeries on algebraic knots bound a 4-manifold with a negative definite plumbing tree, which we describe explicitly. Then we apply the lattice embedding obstruction coming from Donaldson's…

In this paper, we define real link Floer homology for strongly invertible and doubly periodic links in closed real $3$-manifolds with connected fixed sets, which generalizes real Heegaard Floer homology and real sutured Heegaard Floer…

We give an obstruction to unknotting a knot by adding a twisted band, derived from Heegaard Floer homology.

We define an obstruction for a knot to be Z[Z]-homology ribbon, and use this to provide restrictions on the integers that can occur as the triple linking numbers of derivative links of knots that are either homotopy ribbon or doubly slice.…

Topological entanglements are abundant, and often detrimental, in polymeric systems in biology and materials science. Here we theoretically investigate the topological simplification of knots by diffusing slip-links (SLs), which may…

We prove that there exist infinitely many topologically slice knots which cannot bound a smooth null-homologous disk in any definite 4-manifold. Furthermore, we show that we can take such knots so that they are linearly independent in the…

We prove that a family of links, which includes all special alternating knots, does not admit non-nugatory crossing changes which preserve the isotopy type of the link. Our proof incorporates a result of Lidman and Moore on crossing changes…

Kirby and Lickorish showed that every knot in the 3-sphere is concordant to a prime knot, equivalently, every concordance class contains a prime knot. We prove here that their result can be strengthened: Every knot in the 3-sphere is…

Given a grid diagram for a knot or link K in $S^3$, we construct a filtered spectrum whose homology is the knot Floer homology of K. We conjecture that the filtered homotopy type of the spectrum is an invariant of K. Our construction does…

Suppose $\Sigma$ is a compact oriented surface (possibly with boundary) that has genus zero, and L is a link in the interior of $(-1,1)\times\Sigma$. We prove that the Asaeda-Przytycki-Sikora (APS) homology of L has rank 2 if and only if L…