Related papers: On polynomials and surfaces of variously positive …

We explore the codimension one strata in the degree-one cohomology jumping loci of a finitely generated group, through the prism of the multivariable Alexander polynomial. As an application, we give new criteria that must be satisfied by…

We realize a given (monic) Alexander polynomial by a (fibered) hyperbolic arborescent knot and link of any number of components, and by infinitely many such links of at least 4 components. As a consequence, a Mahler measure minimizing…

The leading coefficient of the Alexander polynomial of a knot is the most informative element in this invariant, and the growth of orders of the first homology of cyclic branched covering spaces is also a familiar subject. Accordingly,…

We show that all twist knots, certain double twist knots and some other 2-bridge knots are minimal elements for the partial ordering on the set of prime knots. The key to these results are presentations of their character varieties using…

Two knots in three-space are S-equivalent if they are indistinguishable by Seifert matrices. We show that S-equivalence is generated by the doubled-delta move on knot diagrams. It follows as a corollary that a knot has trivial Alexander…

This article provides an overview of relative strengths of polynomial invariants of knots and links, such as the Alexander, Jones, Homflypt, Kaufman two-variable polynomial, and Khovanov polynomial.

We compute the Jones polynomial for a three-parameter family of links, the twisted torus links of the form $T((p,q),(2,s))$ where $p$ and $q$ are coprime and $s$ is nonzero. When $s = 2n$, these links are the twisted torus knots…

A link at the origin of an isolated singularity of a two-dimensional semialgebraic surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$ is a topological knot (or link) in $S^3$. We study the connection between the ambient Lipschitz geometry of semialgebraic surface…

Let $L$ be a non-split prime alternating link with $n>0$ crossings. We show that for each fixed $g$, the number of genus-$g$ Seifert surfaces for $L$ is bounded by an explicitly given polynomial in $n$. The result also holds for all…

We prove that for knots, the evaluation of the Jones polynomial at the sixth root of unity, as well as the evaluation of the $Q$-polynomial at the reciprocal of the golden ratio, are uniquely determined by the oriented homeomorphism type of…

We introduce Tristram-Levine signatures of virtual knots and use them to investigate virtual knot concordance. The signatures are defined first for almost classical knots, which are virtual knots admitting homologically trivial…

We show that any strongly negative amphichiral knot with a trivial Alexander polynomial is equivariantly topologically slice.

The Jones polynomial of a knot in 3-space is a Laurent polynomial in $q$, with integer coefficients. Many people have pondered why is this so, and what is a proper generalization of the Jones polynomial for knots in other closed…

The volume conjecture and its generalization state that the series of certain evaluations of the colored Jones polynomials of a knot would grow exponentially and its growth rate would be related to the volume of a three-manifold obtained by…

We prove that a simple knot in the lens space $L(p,q)$ fibers if and only if its order in homology does not divide any remainder occurring in the Euclidean algorithm applied to the pair $(p,q)$. One corollary is that if $p=m^2$ is a perfect…

While the problem of computing the genus of a knot is now fairly well understood, no algorithm is known for its four-dimensional variants, both in the smooth and in the topological locally flat category. In this article, we investigate a…

Let $K_n$ be a complete graph with $n$ vertices. An embedding of $K_n$ in $S^3$ is called a spatial $K_n$-graph. Knots in a spatial $K_n$-graph corresponding to simple cycles of $K_n$ are said to be constituent knots. We consider the case…

This short note is about three-stranded pretzel knots that have an even number of crossings in one of the strands. We calculate the braid index of such knots and determine which of them are quasipositive. The main tools are the…

The notion of chckerboard colorability for virtual links and abstract links is introduced. We study the Jones polynomials of virtual links and abstruct links. It is proved that a certain property of the Jones polynomials of classical links…

We prove that for any zero {\alpha} of the Alexander polynomial of a two-bridge knot, -3 < Re({\alpha}) < 6. Furthermore, for a large class of two-bridge knots we prove -1<Re({\alpha}).