Related papers: The Computational Complexity of Knot and Link Prob…

Two geometric spaces are in the same topological class if they are related by certain geometric deformations. We propose machine learning methods that automate learning of topological invariance and apply it in the context of knot theory,…

It has been suggested recently that knots might exist as stable soliton solutions in a simple three-dimensional classical field theory, opening up a wide range of possible applications in physics and beyond. We have re-examined and extended…

Interpreting three-leaf binary trees or {\em rooted triples} as constraints yields an entailment relation, whereby binary trees satisfying some rooted triples must also thus satisfy others, and thence a closure operator, which is known to…

The slicing number of a knot, $u_s(K)$, is the minimum number of crossing changes required to convert $K$ to a slice knot. This invariant is bounded above by the unknotting number and below by the slice genus $g_s(K)$. We show that for many…

In a previous paper (q-alg/9501022) we suggested some algorithms that could be useful in solving the problem of knot classification. Here we continue this discussion by answering questions raised in that paper and by commenting on practical…

We describe a normal surface algorithm that decides whether a knot, with known degree of the colored Jones polynomial, satisfies the Strong Slope Conjecture. We also discuss possible simplifications of our algorithm and state related open…

We initiate the study of classical knots through the homotopy class of the n-th evaluation map of the knot, which is the induced map on the compactified n-point configuration space. Sending a knot to its n-th evaluation map realizes the…

We discuss an "extrinsic" property of knots in a 3-subspace of the 3-sphere $S^3$ to characterize how the subspace is embedded in $S^3$. Specifically, we show that every knot in a subspace of the 3-sphere is transient if and only if the…

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for a class of Holant problems on planar 3-regular bipartite graphs. The complexity dichotomy states that for every weighted constraint function $f$ defining the problem (the weights can even be…

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…

Let $G$ be a complete edge-weighted graph on $n$ vertices. To each subset of vertices of $G$ assign the cost of the minimum spanning tree of the subset as its weight. Suppose that $n$ is a multiple of some fixed positive integer $k$. The…

We prove the existence of families of distinct isotopy classes of physical unknots through the key concept of parametrised thickness. These unknots have prescribed length, tube thickness, a uniform bound on curvature, and cannot be…

Let $u(K)$ and $g(K)$ denote the unknotting number and the genus of a knot $K$, respectively. For a 3-braid knot $K$, we show that $u(K)\le g(K)$ holds, and that if $u(K)=g(K)$ then $K$ is either a 2-braid knot, a connected sum of two…

The probability of a random polygon (or a ring polymer) having a knot type $K$ should depend on the complexity of the knot $K$. Through computer simulation using knot invariants, we show that the knotting probability decreases exponentially…

This thesis develops some general calculational techniques for finding the orders of knots in the topological concordance group C. The techniques currently available in the literature are either too theoretical, applying to only a small…

This is the first in a series of papers where we will derive invariants of three-manifolds and framed knots in them from the geometry of a manifold pseudotriangulation put in some way in a four-dimensional Euclidean space. Thus, the…

There are many fundamental algorithmic problems on triangulated 3-manifolds whose complexities are unknown. Here we study the problem of finding a taut angle structure on a 3-manifold triangulation, whose existence has implications for both…

Determining whether a quantum state is separable or entangled is a problem of fundamental importance in quantum information science. It has recently been shown that this problem is NP-hard. There is a highly inefficient `basic algorithm'…

An oriented compact 4-manifold $V$ with boundary $S^3$ is called a positon (resp. negaton) if its intersection form is positive definite (resp. negative definite) and it is simply connected. In this paper, we prove that there exist…

A ribbon is, intuitively, a smooth mapping of an annulus $S^1 \times I$ in 3-space having constant width $\varepsilon$. This can be formalized as a triple $(x,\varepsilon, \mathbf{u})$ where $x$ is smooth curve in 3-space and $\mathbf{u}$…