Related papers: The pretzel knot $P(4, -3, 5)$ is not squeezed
We prove that the knot groups of $6_2$ and $7_6$ are not bi-orderable. These are the only two knot groups up to 7 crossings whose bi-orderability was not known. Our method applies to a very broad class of knots.
In the search for transverse-universal knots in the standard contact structure on $\mathbb{S}^3$, we present a classification of the transverse twist knots with maximal self-linking number, that admit only overtwisted contact branched…
We compare two naturally arising notions of unknotting number for 2-spheres in the 4-sphere: namely, the minimal number of 1-handle stabilizations needed to obtain an unknotted surface, and the minimal number of Whitney moves required in a…
An inscribed knot is formed by polygonally connecting points lying on a knot $\gamma$ in parametric order, then closing the path by connecting the first and final points. The stick-knot number of a knot type K is the minimum number of line…
The tail of the colored Jones polynomial of an alternating link is a $q$-series invariant whose first $n$ terms coincide with the first $n$ terms of the $n$-th colored Jones polynomial. Recently, it has been shown that the tail of the…
We construct the first explicit example of a simplicial 3-ball B_{15,66} that is not collapsible. It has only 15 vertices. We exhibit a second 3-ball B_{12,38} with 12 vertices that is collapsible and evasive, but not shellable. Finally, we…
We introduce and explore the relation between knot invariants and quiver representation theory, which follows from the identification of quiver quantum mechanics in D-brane systems representing knots. We identify various structural…
An oriented compact 4-manifold $V$ with boundary $S^3$ is called a positon (resp. negaton) if its intersection form is positive definite (resp. negative definite) and it is simply connected. In this paper, we prove that there exist…
We construct an infinite family of smoothly slice knots that we prove are topologically doubly slice. Using the correction terms coming from Heegaard Floer homology, we show that none of these knots is smoothly doubly slice. We use these…
We describe the explicit form and the hidden structure of the answer for the HOMFLY polynomial for the figure eight and some other 3-strand knots in representation [21]. This is the first result for non-torus knots beyond (anti)symmetric…
By considering a version of Khovanov homology incorporating both the Lee and $E(-1)$ differentials, we construct a $1$-parameter family of concordance homomorphisms similar to the Upsilon invariant from knot Floer homology. This invariant…
Many well studied knots can be realized as positive braid knots where the braid word contains a positive full twist; we say that such knots are twist positive. Some important families of knots are twist positive, including torus knots,…
Given a 2-stranded tangle in a $\ZZ/2$ homology ball, $T\subset Y$, we investigate the character variety $R(Y,T)$ of conjugacy classes of traceless SU(2) representations of $\pi_1(Y\setminus T)$. In particular we completely determine the…
In the previous paper the author defined an infinite order plug $(P,\varphi)$ which gives rise to infinite Fintushel-Stern's knot-surgeries. Here, we give two 4-dimensional infinitely many exotic families $Y_n$, $Z_n$ of exotic enlargements…
The number of colorings of a knot diagram by a quandle has been shown to be a knot invariant by CJKLS using quandle cohomology methods. In a previous paper by the second named author, the CJKLS invariant was refined and, in particular, it…
In this paper we show that the non-alternating torus knots are homologically thick, i.e. that their Khovanov homology occupies at least three diagonals. Furthermore, we show that we can reduce the number of full twists of the torus knot…
We prove that there are infinitely many $(1,1)$-knots which are topologically slice, but not smoothly slice, which was a conjecture proposed by B\'ela Andr\'as R\'acz.
We extend techniques due to Pardon to show that there is a lower bound on the distortion of a knot in $\mathbb{R}^3$ proportional to the minimum of the bridge distance and the bridge number of the knot. We also exhibit an infinite family of…
We consider the problem of deciding whether a polygonal knot in 3-dimensional Euclidean space is unknotted, capable of being continuously deformed without self-intersection so that it lies in a plane. We show that this problem, {\sc…
A Legendrian or transverse knot in an overtwisted contact 3-manifold is non-loose if its complement is tight and loose if its complement is overtwisted. We define three measures of the extent of non-looseness of a non-loose knot and show…