Related papers: On Knots with trivial Alexander polynomial
This is a substantially revised version. The Kontsevich integral of a knot is a graph-valued invariant which (when graded by the Vassiliev degree of graphs) is characterized by a universal property; namely it is a universal Vassiliev…
Suppose the knot group G(K) of a knot K has a non-abelian representation \rho on A_4 \subset GL(4,Z). We conjecture that the twisted Alexander polynomial of K associated to \rho is of the form: \Delta_K(t)/(1-t) \phi(t^3), where \Delta_K…
In this paper, we consider generalizations of the Alexander polynomial and signature of 2-bridge knots by considering the Gordon-Litherland bilinear forms associated to essential state surfaces of the 2-bridge knots. We show that the…
We introduce a new technique for showing classical knots and links are not slice. As one application we resolve a long-standing question as to whether certain natural families of knots contain topologically slice knots. We also present a…
The A-polynomial of a knot in S^3 defines a complex plane curve associated to the set of representations of the fundamental group of the knot exterior into SL(2,C). Here, we show that a non-trivial knot in S^3 has a non-trivial…
We present a complete classification of spherical knotoids with up to six crossings and conjecture that our classification up to seven crossings is complete. Our work extends the tradition of knot tabulation to the setting of knotoids…
We show that there are links whose individual components are concordant to the unknot, but which are not concordant to any link with unknotted components. We give examples in the topological category, and examples in the smooth category…
A dual description of 3-dimensional topological Seiberg-Witten theory in terms of the Alexander invariant on manifolds obtained via surgery on a knot is proposed. The description directly follows from a low-energy analysis of the…
A categorification of a polynomial link invariant is an homological invariant which contains the polynomial one as its graded Euler characteristic. This field has been initiated by Khovanov categorification of the Jones polynomial. Later,…
We show that a knot in $S^3$ with an infinite number of distinct incompressible Seifert surfaces contains a closed incompressible surface in its complement.
We review quantum field theory approach to the knot theory. Using holomorphic gauge we obtain the Kontsevich integral. It is explained how to calculate Vassiliev invariants and coefficients in Kontsevich integral in a combinatorial way…
These notes are an introduction to knot theory from the perspective of surfaces. The notes cover fundamental concepts such as isotopies, Reidemeister moves, torus knots, and (orientable, connected) surfaces with one boundary component. They…
We prove that the Khovanov homology of alternating knots and 2-component links is equal (as a singly graded group) to the singular homology of a certain space of trace- free, binary dihedral representations of the link group. More…
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 publish a table of primitive finite-type invariants of order less than or equal to six, for knots of ten or fewer crossings. We note certain mod-2 congruences, one of which leads to a chirality criterion in the Alexander polynomial. We…
The A-polynomial of a knot is defined in terms of SL(2,C) representations of the knot group, and encodes information about essential surfaces in the knot complement. In 2005, Dunfield-Garoufalidis and Boyer-Zhang proved that it detects the…
X.S. Lin's original definition of twisted Alexander knot polynomial is generalized for arbitrary finitely presented groups. J. Cha's fibering obstruction theorem is generalized. The group of a nontrivial virtual knot shown by L. Kauffman to…
Fox conjectured the Alexander polynomial of an alternating knot is trapezoidal, i.e. the coefficients first increase, then stabilize and finally decrease in a symmetric way. Recently, Hirasawa and Murasugi further conjectured a relation…
We establish homotopy ribbon concordance obstructions coming from the Blanchfield form and Levine-Tristram signatures. Then, as an application of twisted Alexander polynomials, we show that for every knot K with nontrivial Alexander…
The authors recently introduced a new construction of a knot as an extended symmetric union of a knot with a single tangle region. In this paper, we generalize the construction to include multiple tangle regions. The constructed knot $K$…