Related papers: Does the Jones polynomial detect the unknot?

We observe that the strong slope conjecture implies that the degree of the colored Jones polynomial detects all torus knots. As an application we obtain that an adequate knot that has the same colored Jones polynomial degrees as a torus…

This note gives a proof that the $A$-polynomial of any nontrivial knot in $S^3$ has nontrivial $M$-degree.

Using elementary ideas from Tropical Geometry, we assign a a tropical curve to every $q$-holonomic sequence of rational functions. In particular, we assign a tropical curve to every knot which is determined by the Jones polynomial of the…

We take a close look at a classical magic trick performed with a string, where a trivial knot is seemingly isotoped into a trefoil, and generalize it to a family of magic tricks for transforming the unknot into other knots. We encode such a…

In an earlier paper the first author defined a non-commutative A-polynomial for knots in 3-space, using the colored Jones function. The idea is that the colored Jones function of a knot satisfies a non-trivial linear q-difference equation.…

In this paper we show how generalized quaternions, including 2X2 matrices, can be used to find solutions of a non-commuting equation intimately connected with braid groups. These solutions can then be used to find polynomial invariants of…

Simple closed curves in the plane can be mapped to nontrivial knots under the action of origami foldings that allow the paper to self-intersect. We show all tame knot types may be produced in this manner, motivating the development of a new…

The signature function of a knot is a locally constant integer valued function with domain the unit circle. The jumps (i.e., the discontinuities) of the signature function can occur only at the roots of the Alexander polynomial on the unit…

Knots, links and entangled filaments appear in many physical systems of interest in biology and engineering. Classifying knots and measuring entanglement is of interest both for advancing knot theory, as well as for analyzing large data…

A braid-like isotopy for links in 3-space is an isotopy which uses only those Reidemeister moves which occur in isotopies of braids. We define a refined Jones polynomial and its corresponding Khovanov homology which are, in general, only…

It follows from earlier work of Silver-Williams and the authors that twisted Alexander polynomials detect the unknot and the Hopf link. We now show that twisted Alexander polynomials also detect the trefoil and the figure-8 knot, that…

We introduce a notion of intrinsic linking and knotting for virtual spatial graphs. Our theory gives two filtrations of the set of all graphs, allowing us to measure, in a sense, how intrinsically linked or knotted a graph is; we show that…

The purpose of the paper is two-fold: to introduce a multivariable creative telescoping method, and to apply it in a problem of Quantum Topology: namely the computation of the non-commutative $A$-polynomial of twist knots. Our multivariable…

In this paper we give the results of a computer search for biracks of small size and we give various interpretations of these findings. The list includes biquandles, racks and quandles together with new invariants of welded knots and…

The noncommutative A-ideal of a knot is a generalization of the A-polynomial, defined using Kauffman bracket skein modules. In this paper we show that any knot that has the same noncommutative A-ideal as the (2,2p+1)-torus knot has the same…

In this paper, we prove a formula for the 2-head of the colored Jones polynomial for an infinite family of pretzel knots. Following Hall, the proof utilizes skein-theoretic techniques and a careful examination of higher order stability…

Univariate polynomial root-finding is a classical subject, still important for modern computing. Frequently one seeks just the real roots of a polynomial with real coefficients. They can be approximated at a low computational cost if the…

A simple multivariable version of the reduced Burau matrix is constructed for any braid. It is shown how the multivariable Alexander polynomial for the closure of the braid can be found directly from this matrix.

This paper, to be regularly updated, lists those prime knots with the fewest possible number of crossings for which values of basic knot invariants, such as the unknotting number or the smooth 4-genus, are unknown. This list is being…

In this report, I will start by first giving a brief introduction on knots to build some intuition before beginning the more rigorous review in the Literature Review section. There, I will define knot equivalence, the Jones polynomial…