We show that the problem of recognizing that a knot diagram represents a specific torus knot, or any torus knot at all, is in the complexity class ${\sf NP} \cap {\sf co\text{-}NP}$, assuming the generalized Riemann hypothesis. We also show that satellite knot detection is in ${\sf NP}$ under the same assumption, and that cabled knot detection and composite knot detection are unconditionally in ${\sf NP}$. Our algorithms are based on recent work of Kuperberg and of Lackenby on detecting knottedness.
Twisted torus knots are torus knots with some full twists added along some number of adjacent strands. There are infinitely many known examples of twisted torus knots which are actually torus knots. We give eight more infinite families of such twisted torus knots with a single negative twist.
It is known that connected sums of positive torus knots are not concordant to $L$-space knots. Here we consider differences of torus knots. The main result states that the subgroup of the concordance group generated by two positive torus knots contains no nontrivial $L$-space knots other than the torus knots themselves. Generalizations to subgroups generated by more than two torus knots are also considered.
We show that most cabled knots over torus knots in $S^3$ satisfy the AJ-conjecture, namely each $(r,s)$-cabled knot over each $(p,q)$-torus knot satisfies the $AJ$-conjecture if $r$ is not a number between $0$ and $pqs$.
We show that any non-minimal bridge decomposition of a torus knot is stabilized and that $n$-bridge decompositions of a torus knot are unique for any integer $n$. This implies that a knot in a bridge position is a torus knot if and only if there exists a torus containing the knot such that it intersects the bridge sphere in two essential loops.
A twisted torus knot is a knot obtained from a torus knot by twisting adjacent strands by full twists. The twisted torus knots lie in $F$, the genus 2 Heegaard surface for $S^3$. Primitive/primitive and primitive/Seifert knots lie in $F$ in a particular way. Dean gives sufficient conditions for the parameters of the twisted torus knots to ensure they are primitive/primitive or primitive/Seifert. Using Dean's conditions, Doleshal shows that there are infinitely many twisted torus knots that are fibered and that there are twisted torus knots with distinct primitive/Seifert representatives with t…
The crosscap number of a knot in the 3-sphere is the minimal genus of non-orientable surface bounded by the knot. We determine the crosscap numbers of torus knots.
We consider the question, asked by Friedl, Livingston and Zentner, of which sums of torus knots are concordant to alternating knots. After a brief analysis of the problem in its full generality, we focus on sums of two torus knots. We describe some effective obstructions based on Heegaard Floer homology.
The twisted torus knots lie on the standard genus 2 Heegaard surface for $S^3$, as do the primitive/primitive and primitive/Seifert knots. It is known that primitive/primitive knots are fibered, and that not all primitive/Seifert knots are fibered. Since there is a wealth of primitive/Seifert knots that are twisted torus knots, we consider the twisted torus knots to partially answer the question of which primitive/Seifert knots are fibered. A braid computation shows that a particular family of twisted torus knots is fibered, and that computation is then used to generalize the results of a prev…
Algebraic knots are known to be iterated torus knots and to admit L-space surgeries. However, Hedden proved that there are iterated torus knots that admit L-space surgeries but are not algebraic. We present an infinite family of such examples, with the additional property that no nontrivial linear combination of knots in this family is concordant to a linear combination of algebraic knots. The proof uses the Ozsvath-Stipsicz-Szabo Upsilon function, and also introduces a new invariant of L-space knots, the formal semigroup.
Every torus knot can be represented as a Fourier-(1,1,2) knot which is the simplest possible Fourier representation for such a knot. This answers a question of Kauffman and confirms the conjecture made by Boocher, Daigle, Hoste and Zheng. In particular, the torus knot T(p,q) can be parameterized as x(t)=cos(pt), y(t)=cos(qt+pi/(2p)), and z(t)=cos(pt+pi/2)\cos((q-p)t+pi/(2p)-pi/(4q)).
The unknotting number of a knot is bounded from below by its slice genus. It is a well-known fact that the genera and unknotting numbers of torus knots coincide. In this note we characterize quasipositive knots for which the genus bound is sharp: the slice genus of a quasipositive knot equals its unknotting number, if and only if the given knot appears in an unknotting sequence of a torus knot.
A knot K is called Gordian adjacent to a knot L if there exists an unknotting sequence for L containing K. We provide a sufficient condition for Gordian adjacency of torus knots via the study of knots in the thickened torus. We also completely describe Gordian adjacency for torus knots of index 2 and 3 using Levine-Tristram signatures as obstructions to Gordian adjacency. Finally, Gordian adjacency for torus knots is compared to the notion of adjacency for plane curve singularities.
The present paper is an addendum to "Spherical structures on torus knots and links", arXiv:1008.0312, and concerns more general case of torus knot and link cone-manifolds.
In this paper we study the knot Floer homology of a subfamily of twisted $(p, q)$ torus knots where $q \equiv\pm1$ (mod $p$). Specifically, we classify the knots in this subfamily that admit L-space surgeries. To do calculations, we use the fact that these knots are $(1, 1)$ knots and, therefore, admit a genus one Heegaard diagram.
We give a necessary condition for a torus knot to be untied by a single twisting. By using this result, we give infinitely many torus knots that cannot be untied by a single twisting.
In this paper, the authors give an unknotting sequence for torus knots and also provide unknotting numbers of $_n14_{17191}, \ _n14_{14274}, \ _n14_{18351}, \ _n14_{24498}$ and some other knots from the knot table of Hoste-Thistlethwite.
The set consisting of all rotations of the Euclidean plane is equipped with a quandle structure. We show that a knot is colorable by this quandle if and only if its Alexander polynomial has a root on the unit circle in $\mathbb{C}$. Further we enumerate all non-trivial colorings of a torus knot diagram by the quandle using PL trochoids. As an application of these results, we have the complete factorization of the Alexander polynomial of the torus knot.
The twisted torus knots K(p, q; r, s) are obtained by performing a sequence of s full twists on r adjacent strands of (p, q)-torus knots. Morimoto asked whether all twisted torus knots with essential tori in the exterior fit into one of two families. We prove that the answer to this question is no, by finding two different new families of toroidal twisted torus knots.
We show that the triple-crossing number of any knot is greater or equal to twice its (canonical) genus and we show an even stronger bound in the case of links. As an application we show that this bound is strong enough to obtain the triple-crossing numbers of all torus knots, and of many more knots and their connected sums.
In the present paper, we will show that for any integer n>0 there are infinitely many twisted torus knots with n-string essential tangle decompositions.
We establish upper bounds for the complexity of Seifert fibered manifolds with nonempty boundary. In particular, we obtain potentially sharp bounds on the complexity of torus knot complements.
Let $D(p,q)$ be the usual knot diagram of the $(p,q)$-torus knot, that is, $D(p,q)$ is the closure of the $p$-braid $(σ_1^{-1} σ_2^{-1}... σ_{p-1}^{-1})^q$. As is well-known, $D(p,q)$ and $D(q,p)$ represent the same knot. It is shown that $D(n+1,n)$ can be deformed to $D(n,n+1)$ by a sequence of $\{(n-1)n(2n-1)/6 \} + 1$ Reidemeister moves, which consists of a single RI move and $(n-1)n(2n-1)/6$ RIII moves. Using cowrithe, we show that this sequence is minimal over all sequences which bring $D(n+1,n)$ to $D(n,n+1)$.
We study properties of the signature function of the torus knot $T_{p,q}$. First we provide a very elementary proof of the formula for the integral of the signatures over the circle. We obtain also a closed formula for the Tristram--Levine signature of a torus knot in terms of Dedekind sums.
The virtual unknotting number of a virtual knot is the minimal number of crossing changes that makes the virtual knot to be the unknot, which is defined only for virtual knots virtually homotopic to the unknot. We focus on the virtual knot obtained from the standard (p,q)-torus knot diagram by replacing all crossings on one overstrand into virtual crossings and prove that its virtual unknotting number is equal to the unknotting number of the $(p,q)$-torus knot, i.e. it is (p-1)(q-1)/2.
We prove that the maximum of the Levine-Tristram signature function of a torus knot satisfies a reduction formula analogous to a result by Gordon-Litherland-Murasugi for the classical signature.
We show that twisted torus knots $T(p,q,3,s)$ are tunnel number one. A short spanning arc connecting two adjacent twisted strands is an unknotting tunnel.
We show that all nontrivial embeddings of planar graphs on the torus contain a nontrivial knot or a nonsplit link. This is equivalent to showing that no minimally knotted planar spatial graphs on the torus exist that contain neither a nontrivial knot nor a nonsplit link all of whose components are unknots.
A technique to calculate the colored Jones polynomials of satellite knots, illustrated by the Whitehead doubles of knots, is presented. Then we prove the volume conjecture for Whitehead doubles of a family of torus knots and show some interesting observations.
We calculate the asymptotic behavior of the Kashaev invariant of a twice-itarated torus knot and obtain topological interpretation of the formula in terms of the Chern--Simons invariant and the twisted Reidemeister torsion.
We obtain an explicit representation, as Dunwoody manifolds, of all cyclic branched coverings of torus knots of type $(p,mp\pm 1)$, with $p>1$ and $m>0$.
S. Satoh has defined a construction to obtain a ribbon torus knot given a welded knot. This construction is known to be surjective. We show that it is not injective. Using the invariant of the peripheral structure, it is possible to provide a restriction on this failure of injectivity. In particular we also provide an algebraic classification of the construction when restricted to classical knots, where it is equivalent to the torus spinning construction.
We determine the pairs of torus knots that have a genus one cobordism between them, with one notable exception. This is done by combining obstructions using $ν^+$ from the Heegaard Floer knot complex and explicit constructions of cobordisms. As an application, we determine the pairs of torus knots related by a single crossing change. Also, we determine the pairs of Thurston-Bennequin number maximizing Legendrian torus knots that have a genus one exact Lagrangian cobordism, with one exception.
For a knot $K$ the cube number is a knot invariant defined to be the smallest $n$ for which there is a cube diagram of size $n$ for $K$. There is also a Legendrian version of this invariant called the \emph{Legendrian cube number}. We will show that the Legendrian cube number distinguishes the Legendrian left hand torus knots with maximal Thurston-Bennequin number and maximal rotation number from the Legendrian left hand torus knots with maximal Thurston-Bennequin number and minimal rotation number.
A 1-bridge torus knot in a 3-manifold of genus $\le 1$ is a knot drawn on a Heegaard torus with one bridge. We give two types of normal forms to parameterize the family of 1-bridge torus knots that are similar to the Schubert's normal form and the Conway's normal form for 2-bridge knots. For a given Schubert's normal form we give algorithms to determine the number of components and to compute the fundamental group of the complement when the normal form determines a knot. We also give a description of the double branched cover of an ambient 3-manifold branched along a 1-bridge torus knot by usi…
We prove that the signature bound for the topological 4-genus of 3-strand torus knots is sharp, using McCoy's twisting method. We also show that the bound is off by at most 1 for 4-strand and 6-strand torus knots, and improve the upper bound on the asymptotic ratio between the topological 4-genus and the Seifert genus of torus knots from 2/3 to 14/27.
For a torus knot K, we bound the crosscap number c(K) in terms of the genus g(K) and crossing number n(K): c(K) \leq [(g(K)+9)/6] and c(K) \leq [(n(K) + 16)/12]. The (6n-2,3) torus knots show that these bounds are sharp.
Knot concordance plays a crucial role in the low dimensional topology. We propose a very elementary techniques which allows one to construct a lot of sliceness obstructions for knots in the full torus. Our approach deals with group theoretical techniques; it is completely combinatorial, and the groups are very easy to deal with.
We determine the set of all genus g bridge numbers of many iterated torus knots, listing these numbers in a sequence called the bridge spectrum. In addition, we prove a structural lemma about the decomposition of a strongly irreducible bridge surface induced by cutting along a collection of essential surfaces.
We prove that the topological locally flat slice genus of large torus knots takes up less than three quarters of the ordinary genus. As an application, we derive the best possible linear estimate of the topological slice genus for torus knots with non-maximal signature invariant.
We define a new kind of Gauss diagrams to describe knots in the solid torus with projections in the annulus. We see that it provides an efficient tool for showing that a knot diagram can be fully recovered from its decorated Gauss diagram, and we use it to establish a characterization of the decorated Gauss diagrams of closed braids.
We develop an algebraic representation for (1,1)-knots using the mapping class group of the twice punctured torus MCG(T,2). We prove that every (1,1)-knot in a lens space L(p,q) can be represented by the composition of an element of a certain rank two free subgroup of MCG(T,2) with a standard element only depending on the ambient space. As a notable examples, we obtain a representation of this type for all torus knots and for all two-bridge knots. Moreover, we give explicit cyclic presentations for the fundamental groups of the cyclic branched coverings of torus knots of type (k,ck+2).
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 unknotting number or the triple point cancelling number, respectively. In this paper, we give upper bounds and lower bounds of unknotting numbers and triple point cancelling numbers of torus-covering knots, which are surface knots in the form of coverings over the standard torus $T$. Upper bounds are given by using $m$-charts on $T$ presenting torus-covering knot…
We prove that the N-colored Jones polynomial for the torus knot T_{s,t} satisfies the second order difference equation, which reduces to the first order difference equation for a case of T_{2,2m+1}. We show that the A-polynomial of the torus knot can be derived from this difference equation. Also constructed is a q-hypergeometric type expression of the colored Jones polynomial for T_{2,2m+1}.
In this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of the colored Jones polynomials evaluated at roots of unity for a special class of knots. We show that certain limit is zero as predicted by the volume conjecture.
We show that for a torus knot the SL(2;C) Chern-Simons invariants and the SL(2;C) twisted Reidemeister torsions appear in an asymptotic expansion of the colored Jones polynomial. This suggests a generalization of the volume conjecture that relates the asymptotic behavior of the colored Jones polynomial of a knot to the volume of the knot complement.
