We study Legendrian and transverse realizations of the negative torus knots $T_{(p,-q)}$ in all contact structures on the $3$-sphere. We give a complete classification of the strongly non-loose transverse realizations and the strongly non-loose Legendrian realizations with the Thurston-Bennequin invariant smaller than $-pq$.
Additionally, we show that the strongly non-loose transverse realizations $T$ are classified by their non-zero invariants $\mathfrak T(T)$ in the minus version of the knot Floer homology. However, not all the elements of $HFK^-(T_{(p,q)})$ can be realized.
Along the way, we relate our Legendrian realizations to the tight contact structures on the Legendrian surgeries along them. Specifically, we realize all tight structures on the lens spaces $L(pq+1,p^2)$ as a single Legendrian surgery on a Legendrian $T_{(p,-q)}$, and we relate transverse realizations in overtwisted structures to the non-fillable tight structures on the large negative surgeries along the underlying knots.
A Legendrian or transverse knot in an overtwisted contact 3-manifold is non-loose if its complement is tight and loose if its complement is overtwisted. We define three measures of the extent of non-looseness of a non-loose knot and show they are distinct.
We prove a complete classification theorem for loose Legendrian knots in an oriented 3-manifold, generalizing results of Dymara and Ding-Geiges. Our approach is to classify knots in a $3$-manifold $M$ that are transverse to a nowhere-zero vector field $V$ up to the corresponding isotopy relation. Such knots are called $V$-transverse. A framed isotopy class is simple if any two $V$-transverse knots in that class which are homotopic through $V$-transverse immersions are $V$-transverse isotopic. We show that all knot types in $M$ are simple if any one of the following three conditions hold: $1.$ …
We prove that loose Legendrian knots in a rational homology contact 3-sphere, satisfying some additional hypothesis, are Legendrian isotopic if and only if they have the same classical invariants. The proof requires a result of Dymara on loose Legendrian knots and Eliashberg's classification of overtwisted contact structures on 3-manifolds.
Knot contact homology is an invariant of knots derived from Legendrian contact homology which has numerous connections to the knot group. We use basic properties of knot groups to prove that knot contact homology detects every torus knot. Further, if the knot contact homology of a knot is isomorphic to that of a cable (respectively composite) knot, then the knot is a cable (respectively composite).
In this note, we first classify all topological torus knots lying on the Heegaard torus in lens spaces, and then we study Legendrian representatives of these knots. We classify oriented positive Legendrian torus knots in the universally tight contact structures on the lens spaces up to contactomorphism.
We prove that an iterated torus knot type fails the uniform thickness property (UTP) if and only if all of its iterations are positive cablings, which is precisely when an iterated torus knot type supports the standard contact structure. We also show that all iterated torus knots that fail the UTP support cabling knot types that are transversely non-simple.
In this paper we classify Legendrian and transverse knots in the knot types obtained from positive torus knots by cabling. This classification allows us to demonstrate several new phenomena. Specifically, we show there are knot types that have non-destabilizable Legendrian representatives whose Thurston-Bennequin invariant is arbitrarily far from maximal. We also exhibit Legendrian knots requiring arbitrarily many stabilizations before they become Legendrian isotopic. Similar new phenomena are observed for transverse knots. To achieve these results we define and study "partially thickenable" t…
We prove that the class of topological knot types that are both Legendrian simple and satisfy the uniform thickness property (UTP) is closed under cabling. An immediate application is that all iterated cabling knot types that begin with negative torus knots are Legendrian simple. We also examine, for arbitrary numbers of iterations, iterated cablings that begin with positive torus knots, and establish the Legendrian simplicity of large classes of these knot types, many of which also satisfy the UTP. In so doing we obtain new necessary conditions for both the failure of the UTP and Legendrian n…
We present classification results for exceptional Legendrian realisations of torus knots. These are the first results of that kind for non-trivial topological knot types. Enumeration results of Ding-Li-Zhang concerning tight contact structures on certain Seifert fibred manifolds with boundary allow us to place upper bounds on the number of tight contact structures on the complements of torus knots; the classification of exceptional realisations of these torus knots is then achieved by exhibiting sufficiently many realisations in terms of contact surgery diagrams. We also discuss a couple of ge…
Suppose that $X$ is a torus bundle over a closed surface with homologically essential fibers. Let $X_K$ be the manifold obtained by Fintushel--Stern knot surgery on a fiber using a knot $K\subset S^3$. We prove that $X_K$ has a symplectic structure if and only if $K$ is a fibered knot. The proof uses Seiberg--Witten theory and a result of Friedl--Vidussi on twisted Alexander polynomials.
We compute the Chekanov-Eliashberg contact homology of what we call the Legendrian closure of a positive braid. We also construct an augmentation for each such link diagram. Then we apply the monodromy techniques established in an earlier paper to a certain natural loop in the space L' of positive Legendrian (p,q) torus knots to show that L' has a nontrivial fundamental group, which is mapped non-injectively into the fundamental group of K by the map induced by inclusion (here, K is the space of all smooth positive (p,q) torus knots). This is the first example that Legendrian and classical kno…
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 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.
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.
The AJ conjecture, formulated by Garoufalidis, relates the A-polynomial and the colored Jones polynomial of a knot in the 3-sphere. It has been confirmed for all torus knots, some classes of two-bridge knots and pretzel knots, and most cabled knots over torus knots. The strong AJ conjecture, formulated by Sikora, relates the A-ideal and the colored Jones polynomial of a knot. It was confirmed for all torus knots. In this paper we confirm the strong AJ conjecture for most cabled knots over torus knots.
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.
