English

Knots and Links from Random Projections

Probability 2019-06-18 v3 Geometric Topology

Abstract

In this paper we study a model of random knots obtained by fixing a space curve in nn-dimensional Euclidean space with n>3n>3, and orthogonally projecting the space curve on to random 33 dimensional subspaces. By varying the space curve we obtain different models of random parametrized knots, and we will study how the expectation value of the curvature changes as a function of the initial parametrized space curve. In the case when the initial data is a pair of space curves, or more generally a pair of manifolds satisfying certain conditions on their dimension, then we obtain models of random links for which we will give methods to compute the second moment of the linking number. As an application of our computations, we will study numerous models of random knots and links, and how to recover these models by appropriately choosing the initial space curves to be projected.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1602.01484,
  title  = {Knots and Links from Random Projections},
  author = {Christopher Westenberger},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1602.01484},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

Moved significant material from appendix to the main body of text. Updated proof for Theorems 1.2.3 and 1.2.4. Updated Tables 5.1/5.2. Included additional appendix of sourcecode. Added further information in Future Directions chapter

R2 v1 2026-06-22T12:43:10.393Z