Related papers: Erratum: On iterated torus knots and transversal k…

A long standing open conjecture states that if a link $\mathcal{K}$ is alternating, then its ropelength $L(\mathcal{K})$ is at least of the order $O(Cr(\mathcal{K}))$. A recent result shows that the maximum braid index of a link bounds the…

We compute the genus zero bridge numbers and give lower bounds on the genus one bridge numbers for a large class of sufficiently generic hyperbolic twisted torus knots. As a result, the bridge spectra of these knots have two gaps which can…

A triangulation of a surface with fixed topological type is called irreducible if no edge can be contracted to a vertex while remaining in the category of simplicial complexes and preserving the topology of the surface. A complete list of…

Weaving knots are alternating knots with the same projection as torus knots, and were conjectured by X.-S. Lin to be among the maximum volume knots for fixed crossing number. We provide the first asymptotically correct volume bounds for…

In 1976, Rudolph asked whether algebraic knots are linearly independent in the knot concordance group. This paper uses twisted Blanchfield pairings to answer this question in the affirmative for new large families of algebraic knots.

We give a combinatorial treatment of transverse homology, a new invariant of transverse knots that is an extension of knot contact homology. The theory comes in several flavors, including one that is an invariant of topological knots and…

We consider knots whose diagrams have a high amount of twisting of multiple strands. By encircling twists on multiple strands with unknotted curves, we obtain a link called a generalized augmented link. Dehn filling this link gives the…

We construct an enhanced version of knot contact homology, and show that we can deduce from it the group ring of the knot group together with the peripheral subgroup. In particular, it completely determines a knot up to smooth isotopy. The…

A theorem of Kronheimer and Mrowka states that Khovanov homology is able to detect the unknot. That is, if a knot has the Khovanov homology of the unknot, then it is equivalent to it. Similar results hold for the trefoils and the…

It is known that any surface knot can be transformed to an unknotted surface knot or a surface knot which has a diagram with no triple points by a finite number of 1-handle additions. The minimum number of such 1-handles is called the…

We extend Howie's characterization of alternating knots to give a topological characterization of toroidally alternating knots, which were defined by Adams. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a knot to be toroidally…

We prove that the meridional rank and the bridge number of the Whitehead double of a prime algebraically tame knot coincide. Algebraically tame knots are a broad generalization of torus knots and iterated cable knots.

Introducing a way to modify knots using $n$-trivial rational tangles, we show that knots with given values of Vassiliev invariants of bounded degree can have arbitrary unknotting number (extending a recent result of Ohyama, Taniyama and…

In this paper we show that the non-alternating torus knots are homologically thick, i.e. that their Khovanov homology occupies at least three diagonals. Furthermore, we show that we can reduce the number of full twists of the torus knot…

We prove that the knots and links that admit a 3-highly twisted irreducible diagram with more than two twist regions are hyperbolic. This should be compared with a result of Futer-Purcell for 6-highly twisted diagrams. While their proof…

We study the behavior of the Ozsvath-Szabo and Rasmussen knot concordance invariants tau and s on K(m,n), the (m,n)-cable of a knot K where m and n are relatively prime. We show that for every knot K and for any fixed positive integer m,…

The theory of tunnel number 1 knots detailed in our previous paper, The tree of knot tunnels, provides a non-negative integer invariant called the depth of the tunnel. We give various results related to the depth invariant. Noting that it…

Let \nu be any integer-valued additive knot invariant that bounds the smooth 4-genus of a knot K, |\nu(K)| <= g_4(K), and determines the 4-ball genus of positive torus knots, \nu(T_{p,q}) = (p-1)(q-1)/2. Either of the knot concordance…

This is a short expository article on alternating knots and is to appear in the Concise Encyclopedia of Knot Theory.

We show that for each even integer $m\ge 2$, every reduced shadow with sufficiently many crossings is a shadow of a torus knot T(2,m+1), or of a twist knot $T_m$, or of a connected sum of $m$ trefoil knots.