Related papers: Strongly-cyclic branched coverings of knots via $(…
We construct a new type of geometric knot theory, plumbers' knots, and solve the problems of distinguishing and enumerating such knots at a fixed level of complexity. (v2) Minor edits, added theorem 3.18. (v3) Substantial revisions,…
The knot group is the fundamental group of a knot or link complement. A necessary and sufficient conditions for a group to be realized as the knot group of some link was provided. This result was shown using the closed braid method.…
Given a knot in $S^3$, one can associate to it a surface diffeomorphism in two different ways. First, an arbitrary knot in $S^{3}$ can be represented by braids, which can be thought of as diffeomorphisms of punctured disks. Second, if the…
Let $X$ be a compact Riemann surface of genus $g$ and let $x \in X$. We derive the classical presentation of $\pi_1(X,x)$ (i.e the one given by $2g$ generators $a_1,b_1, \dots, a_g,b_g$ and the relation $\prod_{i=1}^g[a_i,b_i] = 1$) from…
We compute the nonabelian $\mathrm{SL_2}(\mathbb{C})$-character varieties of the rational knots $C(2n+1,2m,2)$ in the Conway notation, where $m$ and $n$ are non-zero integers. By studying real points on these varieties, we determine the…
This is a survey of some recent developments in the study of complements of line arrangements in the complex plane. We investigate the fundamental groups and finite covers of those complements, focusing on homological and enumerative…
For each $g>0$ we give infinitely many knots that are strongly negative amphichiral, hence rationally slice and representing 2-torsion in the smooth concordance group, yet which do not bound any locally flatly embedded surface in the 4-ball…
We prove that a cyclic cover of a smooth complex projective variety is Brody hyperbolic if its branch divisor is a generic small deformation of a large enough multiple of a Brody hyperbolic base-point-free ample divisor. We also show the…
In this article we show that all cyclic branched covers of a Seifert link have left-orderable fundamental groups, and therefore admit co-oriented taut foliations and are not $L$-spaces, if and only if it is not an $ADE$ link up to…
These notes are based on the lectures given by the author during Winter Braids IX in Reims in March 2019. We discuss slice knots and why they are interesting, as well as some ways to decide if a given knot is or is not slice. We describe…
We show that for the pretzel knots $K_k=P(3,-3,-2k-1)$, the $n$-fold cyclic branched covers are L-spaces for all $n\geq 1$. In addition, we show that the knots $K_k$ with $k\geq 1$ are quasipositive and slice, answering a question of…
The interplay of topological constraints and Coulomb interactions in static and dynamic properties of charged polymers is investigated by numerical simulations and scaling arguments. In the absence of screening, the long-range interaction…
For all n > 0 there is a homomorphism from the smooth concordance group of knots in dimension 2n + 1 to an algebraically defined group called the rational algebraic concordance group. This algebraic concordance group splits as a direct sum…
Esnault-Viehweg developed the theory of cyclic branched coverings $\tilde X\to X$ of smooth surfaces providing a very explicit formula for the decomposition of $H^1(\tilde X,\mathbb{C})$ in terms of a resolution of the ramification locus.…
Sutured manifolds defined by Gabai are useful in the geometrical study of knots and 3-dimensional manifolds. On the other hand, homology cylinders are in an important position in the recent theory of homology cobordisms of surfaces and…
The concordance group of knots in the three-sphere contains an infinite subgroup generated by elements of order two, each one of which is represented by a knot K with the property that for every n > 0, the n-fold cyclic cover of S^3…
We construct two distinct yet related M-theory models that provide suitable frameworks for the study of knot invariants. We then focus on the four-dimensional gauge theory that follows from appropriately compactifying one of these M-theory…
We give an algorithm for computing the knot Floer homology of a $ (1,1) $ knot from a particular presentation of its fundamental group.
If a knot K has Seifert matrix V_K and has a prime power cyclic branched cover that is not a homology sphere, then there is an infinite family of non-concordant knots having Seifert matrix V_K.
When $\mathcal{C}$ is a chordal clutter in the sense of Woodroofe or Emtander, we show that the complement clutter is edgewise strongly shellable. When $\mathcal{C}$ is indeed a finite simple graph, we study various characterizations of…