Related papers: Convergence and isotopy type for graphs of finite …

Knot theory is the study of isotopy classes of embeddings of the circle $S^1$ into a 3-manifold, specifically $R^3$. The F\'ary-Milnor Theorem says that any curve in $R^3$ of total curvature less than $4\pi$ is unknotted. More generally, a…

When approximating a space curve, it is natural to consider whether the knot type of the original curve is preserved in the approximant. This preservation is of strong contemporary interest in computer graphics and visualization. We…

Computational topology is a vibrant contemporary subfield and this article integrates knot theory and mathematical visualization. Previous work on computer graphics developed a sequence of smooth knots that were shown to converge point wise…

We define a new notion of total curvature, called net total curvature, for finite graphs embedded in Rn, and investigate its properties. Two guiding principles are given by Milnor's way of measuring the local crookedness of a Jordan curve…

We use microlocal sheaf theory to show that if two knots have Legendrian isotopic conormal tori, then the knots are isotopic or mirror images.

We define the total curvature of a semialgebraic embedding of a graph in the 3-dimensional Euclidean space. We prove that it satisfies a Chern-Lashof type inequality and we describe when the equality holds. We also prove a generalization of…

We consider the class of curves of finite total curvature, as introduced by Milnor. This is a natural class for variational problems and geometric knot theory, and since it includes both smooth and polygonal curves, its study shows us…

We prove that curves of constant curvature satisfy the parametric $C^1$-dense relative $h$-principle in the space of immersed curves with nonvanishing curvature in Euclidean space $R^{n\geq 3}$. It follows that two knots of constant…

We show that every canonical Seifert surface is (up to isotopy) given by a knot diagram in which the (open) Seifert disks are pairwise disjoint.

In this paper we extend Efimov's Theorem by proving that any complete surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with Gauss curvature bounded above by a negative constant outside a compact set has finite total curvature, finite area and is properly…

Let f be a smooth map between unit spheres of possibly different dimensions. We prove the global existence and convergence of the mean curvature flow of the graph of f under various conditions. A corollary is that any area-decreasing map…

A knot in a thickened surface $K$ is a smooth embedding $K:S^1 \rightarrow \Sigma \times [0,1]$, where $\Sigma$ is a closed, connected, orientable surface. There is a bijective correspondence between knots in $S^2 \times [0,1]$ and knots in…

Given a uniformly convergent sequence of ambient isotopies $(H_n)_{n\in\mathbb{N}}$, bijectivity of the limit function $H_\infty$ together with a minor compactness condition guarantees that $H_\infty$ is also an ambient isotopy. By…

We prove that the following problem has the same computational complexity as the existential theory of the reals: Given a generic self-intersecting closed curve $\gamma$ in the plane and an integer $m$, is there a polygon with $m$ vertices…

Given a natural number k and an orientable surface S of finite type, define the k-curve graph to be the graph with vertices corresponding to isotopy classes of essential simple closed curves on S and with edges corresponding to pairs of…

This paper examines the relationship between the knotting of an embedded surface in $\R^3$ and the knotting of its fold curves, formed by the singular set of projection to a plane. The first result shows that every surface, no matter how…

We provide a way to produce knots in $S^3$ from signed chord diagrams, and prove that every knot can be produced in this way. Using these diagrams, we generalize the fundamental theorem of finite type invariants. We also provide moves for…

We prove that closed manifolds admitting a generic metric whose sectional curvature is locally quasi-constant are graphs of space forms. In the more general setting of QC spaces where sets of isotropic points are arbitrary, under suitable…

We prove that curves of constant torsion satisfy the $C^1$-dense h-principle in the space of immersed curves in Euclidean space. In particular, there exists a knot of constant torsion in each isotopy class. Our methods, which involve convex…

We introduce a new combinatorial method to encode knots and links with applications to knot invariants. Clasp diagrams defined in this paper are combinatorial blueprints for building knot diagrams out of full twists on two strings rather…