English

Geometric Constraints in Link Isotopy

Geometric Topology 2025-06-06 v1

Abstract

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 disentangled into a thickened round circle by an isotopy that preserves these constraints throughout. In particular, we establish the existence of \emph{gordian unknots}: embedded tubes that are topologically trivial but geometrically locked, confirming a long-standing conjecture. These arise within the space U1\mathcal{U}_1 of thin unknots in R3\mathbb{R}^3, and persist across a stratified family {Uτ}τ[0,2]\{ \mathcal{U}_\tau \}_{\tau \in [0,2]}, where τ\tau denotes the tube diameter, or thickness. The constraints on curvature and self-distance fragment the isotopy class of the unknot into infinitely many disconnected components, revealing a stratified structure governed by geometric thresholds. This unveils a rich hierarchy of geometric entanglement within topologically trivial configurations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2506.04442,
  title  = {Geometric Constraints in Link Isotopy},
  author = {José Ayala},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.04442},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T03:00:04.124Z