We show that the infinite cyclic cover of the exterior of the untwisted Whitehead double of a non-trivial knot does not embed in any compact 3-manifold, answering a question of Jiang, Ni, Wang and Zhou.
For any integer n > 2, the n-fold cyclic branched cover M of an alternating prime knot K in the 3-sphere determines K, meaning that if K is a knot in the 3-sphere that is not equivalent to K then its n-fold cyclic branched cover cannot be homeomorphic to M.
We study tori which are cyclic covers of the standard torus, that is, the deck transformation group of the covering map is cyclic. These covering tori can be parametrized in a natural way and we show that being cyclic is equivalent to certain arithmetic condition on these parameters. There is a natural $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$-action on covering tori and introducing a complete numeric $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$-invariant we show that, for $n\in\mathbb{N}$, all $n$-tuple cyclic covers are in the same $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$-orbit. We show that cyclic covers are irreducible in a precise …
For any alternating knot, it is known that the double branched cover of the $3$-sphere branched over the knot is an $L$-space. We show that the three-fold cyclic branched cover is also an $L$-space for any genus one alternating knot.
We study the linking numbers in a rational homology 3-sphere and in the infinite cyclic cover of the complement of a knot. They take values in $\Bbb Q$ and in ${Q}({\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}])$ respectively, where ${Q}({\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}])$ denotes the quotient field of ${\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}]$. It is known that the modulo-$\Bbb Z$ linking number in the rational homology 3-sphere is determined by the linking matrix of the framed link and that the modulo-${\Bbb Z}[t,t^{-1}]$ linking number in the infinite cyclic cover of the complement of a knot is determined by the Seifert matrix of the knot. We eliminate `…
We prove that a prime knot K is not determined by its p-fold cyclic branched cover for at most two odd primes p. Moreover, we show that for a given odd prime p, the p-fold cyclic branched cover of a prime knot K is the p-fold cyclic branched cover of at most one more knot K' non equivalent to K. To prove the main theorem, a result concerning the symmetries of knots is also obtained. This latter result can be interpreted as a characterisation of the trivial knot.
We discuss 3-manifolds which are cyclic coverings of the 3-sphere, branched over 2-bridge knots and links. Different descriptions of these manifolds are presented: polyhedral, Heegaard diagram, Dehn surgery and coloured graph constructions. Using these descriptions, we give presentations for their fundamental groups, which are cyclic presentations in the case of 2-bridge knots. The homology groups are given for a wide class of cases. Moreover, we prove that each singly-cyclic branched covering of a 2-bridge link is the composition of a meridian-cyclic branched covering of a determined link and…
Using a Heegaard diagram for the pullback of a knot $K \subset S^3$ in its cyclic branched cover $Σ_m(K)$ obtained from a grid diagram for $K$, we give a combinatorial proof for the invariance of the associated combinatorial knot Floer homology over $\mathbb{Z}$.
We show that the commutator subgroup G' of a classical knot group G need not have subgroups of every finite index, but it will if G' has a surjective homomorphism to the integers and we give an exact criterion for that to happen. We also give an example of a smoothly knotted n-sphere in the (n+2)-sphere for all n at least 2 whose infinite cyclic cover is not simply connected but has no proper finite covers.
Using a Heegaard diagram for the pullback of a knot $K \subset S^3$ in its cyclic double branched cover $Σ_2(K)$, we give a combinatorial proof for the invariance of knot Floer homology over $\mathbb{Z}$.
We prove the non-left-orderability of the fundamental group of the $n$-th fold cyclic branched cover of the pretzel knot $P(3,-3,-2k-1)$ for all integers $k$ and $n\ge 1$. These $3$-manifolds are $L$-spaces discovered by Issa and Turner.
We characterize the cyclic branched covers of the 2-sphere where every homeomorphism of the sphere lifts to a homeomorphism of the covering surface. This answers a question that appeared in an early version of the erratum of Birman and Hilden [2].
Two criteria for a closed connected definite 4-manifold with infinite cyclic fundamental group to be TOP-split are given. One criterion extends a sufficient condition made in a previous paper. The result is equivalent to a purely algebraic result on the question asking when a positive definite Hermitian form over the ring of integral one-variable Laurent polynomials is represented by an integer matrix. As an application, an infinite family of orthogonally indecomposable unimodular odd definite symmetric $Z$-forms is produced.
We compute the nonabelian $\mathrm{SL_2}(\mathbb{C})$-character varieties of the rational knots $C(2n+1,2m,2)$ in the Conway notation, where $m$ and $n$ are non-zero integers. By studying real points on these varieties, we determine the left orderability of the fundamental groups of the cyclic branched covers of $C(2n+1,2m,2)$.
Recently, Mullins calculated the Casson-Walker invariant of the 2-fold cyclic branched cover of an oriented link in S^3 in terms of its Jones polynomial and its signature, under the assumption that the 2-fold branched cover is a rational homology 3-sphere. Using elementary principles, we provide a similar calculation for the general case. In addition, we calculate the LMO invariant of the p-fold branched cover of twisted knots in S^3 in terms of the Kontsevich integral of the knot.
We are interested in finite groups acting orientation-preservingly on 3-manifolds (arbitrary actions, ie not necessarily free actions). In particular we consider finite groups which contain an involution with nonempty connected fixed point set. This condition is satisfied by the isometry group of any hyperbolic cyclic branched covering of a strongly invertible knot as well as by the isometry group of any hyperbolic 2-fold branched covering of a knot in the 3-sphere. In the paper we give a characterization of nonsolvable groups of this type. Then we consider some possible applications to the st…
We extend the construction of upsilon-type invariants to null-homologous knots in rational homology three-spheres. By considering $m$-fold cyclic branched covers with $m$ a prime power, this extension provides new knot concordance invariants $Υ_m^C (K)$ of knots in $S^3$. We give computations of these invariants for some families of alternating knots and reprove some independence results in the smooth concordance group.
We provide an alternative proof of a sufficient condition for the fundamental group of the $n^{th}$ cyclic branched cover of $S^3$ along a prime knot $K$ to be left-orderable, which is originally due to Boyer-Gordon-Watson. As an application of this sufficient condition, we show that for any $(p,q)$ two-bridge knot, with $p\equiv 3 \text{ mod } 4$, there are only finitely many cyclic branched covers whose fundamental groups are not left-orderable. This answers a question posed by D{\c a}bkowski, Przytycki and Togha.
Given a 3-manifold M with no spherical boundary components, and a primitive class ϕin H^1(M;Z), we show that the following are equivalent: (1) ϕis a fibered class, (2) the rank gradient of (M,ϕ) is zero, (3) the Heegaard gradient of (M,ϕ) is zero.
We show that every strongly-cyclic branched covering of a (1,1)-knot is a Dunwoody manifold. This result, together with the converse statement previously obtained by Grasselli and Mulazzani, proves that the class of Dunwoody manifolds coincides with the class of strongly-cyclic branched coverings of (1,1)-knots. As a consequence, we obtain a parametrization of (1,1)-knots by 4-tuples of integers. Moreover, using a representation of (1,1)-knots by the mapping class group of the twice punctured torus, we provide an algorithm which gives the parametrization of all torus knots.
We consider closed orientable 3-dimensional hyperbolic manifolds which are cyclic branched coverings of the 3-sphere, with branching set being a two-bridge knot (or link). We establish two-sided linear bounds depending on the order of the covering for the Matveev complexity of the covering manifold. The lower estimate uses the hyperbolic volume and results of Cao-Meyerhoff and Gueritaud-Futer (who recently improved previous work of Lackenby), while the upper estimate is based on an explicit triangulation, which also allows us to give a bound on the Delzant T-invariant of the fundamental group …
We introduce a simple combinatorial method for computing all versions of the knot Floer homology of the preimage of a two-bridge knot K(p,q) inside its double-branched cover, -L(p,q). The 4-pointed genus 1 Heegaard diagram we obtain looks like a twisted version of the toroidal grid diagrams recently introduced by Manolescu, Ozsvath, and Sarkar. We conclude with a discussion of how one might obtain nice Heegaard diagrams for cyclic branched covers of more general knots.
Given a real analytic function $f$ from $\mathbb{R}^4$ to $\mathbb{R}^2$ with isolated critical point at the origin, the link $L_f$ of the singularity is a real fibred knot in $\mathbb{S}^{3}$. From this singularities, we construct a family of real isolated suspension singularities from $\mathbb{R}^6$ to $\mathbb{R}^2$ such that its links are the total spaces of the $n$-branched cyclic coverings over the corresponding knots. In this way we obtain as links of singularities, $3$-manifolds that does not appear in the complex case, such as hyperbolic $3$-manifolds or the Hantzsche-Wendt manifold.
We study the left-orderability of the fundamental groups of cyclic branched covers of links which admit co-oriented taut foliations. In particular we do this for cyclic branched covers of fibred knots in integer homology $3$-spheres and cyclic branched covers of closed braids. The latter allows us to complete the proof of the L-space conjecture for closed, connected, orientable, irreducible $3$-manifolds containing a genus $1$ fibred knot. We also prove that the universal abelian cover of a manifold obtained by generic Dehn surgery on a hyperbolic fibred knot in an integer homology $3$-sphere …
In this paper, we introduce a sequence of invariants of a knot K in S^3: the knot Floer homology groups of the preimage of K in the m-fold cyclic branched cover over K. We exhibit the knot Floer homology in the m-fold branched cover as the categorification of a multiple of the Turaev torsion in the case where the m-fold branched cover is a rational homology sphere. In addition, when K is a 2-bridge knot, we prove that the knot Floer homology of the lifted knot in a particular Spin^c structure in the branched double cover matches the knot Floer homology of the original knot K in S^3. We conclud…
In this paper we show that all 3-manifolds of a family introduced by M. J. Dunwoody are cyclic coverings of lens spaces (eventually $\bf S^3$), branched over genus one 1-bridge knots. As a consequence, we give a positive answer to the Dunwoody conjecture that all the elements of a wide subclass are cyclic coverings of $\bf S^3$ branched over a knot. Moreover, we show that all branched cyclic coverings of a 2-bridge knot belong to this subclass; this implies that the fundamental group of each branched cyclic covering of a 2-bridge knot admits a geometric cyclic presentation.
The Weil conjecture is a delightful theorem for algebraic varieties on finite fields and an important model for dynamical zeta functions. In this paper, we prove a functional equation of Lefschetz zeta functions for infinite cyclic coverings which is analogous to the Weil conjecture. Applying this functional equation to knot theory, we obtain a new view point on the reciprocity of the Alexander polynomial of a knot.
This work identifies a class of moves on knots which translate to $m$-equivalences of the associated $p$-fold branched cyclic covers, for a fixed $m$ and any $p$ (with respect to the Goussarov-Habiro filtration.) These moves are applied to give a flexible (if specialised) construction of knots for which the Casson-Walker-Lescop invariant (for example) of their $p$-fold branched cyclic covers may be readily calculated, for any choice of $p$. In the second part of this paper, these operations are illustrated by some theorems concerning the relationship of knot invariants obtained from finite typ…
We use grid diagrams to give a combinatorial algorithm for computing the knot Floer homology of the pullback of a knot K in its m-fold cyclic branched cover Sigma^m(K), and we give computations when m=2 for over fifty three-bridge knots with up to eleven crossings.
Updated rerefences and introduction. Given a knot in an integer homology sphere, one can construct a family of closed 3-manifolds (parametrized by the positive integers), namely the cyclic branched coverings of the knot. In this paper we give a formula for the the Casson-Walker invariants of these 3-manifolds in terms of residues of a rational function (which measures the 2-loop part of the Kontsevich integral of a knot) and the signature function of the knot. Our main result actually computes the LMO invariant of cyclic branched covers in terms of a rational invariant of the knot and its sign…
We say a knot $k$ in the 3-sphere $\mathbb S^3$ has {\it Property $IE$} if the infinite cyclic cover of the knot exterior embeds into $\mathbb S^3$. Clearly all fibred knots have Property $IE$. There are infinitely many non-fibred knots with Property $IE$ and infinitely many non-fibred knots without property $IE$. Both kinds of examples are established here for the first time. Indeed we show that if a genus 1 non-fibred knot has Property $IE$, then its Alexander polynomial $Δ_k(t)$ must be either 1 or $2t^2-5t+2$, and we give two infinite families of non-fibred genus 1 knots with Property $IE$…
We show that a hyperbolic $3$-manifold can be the cyclic branched cover of at most fifteen knots in $\mathbf{S}^3$. This is a consequence of a general result about finite groups of orientation preserving diffeomorphisms acting on $3$-manifolds. A similar, although weaker, result holds for arbitrary irreducible $3$-manifolds: an irreducible $3$-manifold can be the cyclic branched cover of odd prime order of at most six knots in $\mathbf{S}^3$.
In this article we give combinatorial criteria to decide whether a transitive cyclic combinatorial d-manifold can be generalized to an infinite family of such complexes, together with an explicit construction in the case that such a family exists. In addition, we substantially extend the classification of combinatorial 3-manifolds with transitive cyclic symmetry up to 22 vertices. Finally, a combination of these results is used to describe new infinite families of transitive cyclic combinatorial manifolds and in particular a family of neighborly combinatorial lens spaces of infinitely many dis…
We show that standard cyclic actions on Brieskorn homology 3-spheres with non-empty fixed set do not extend smoothly to any contractible smooth 4-manifold it may bound. The quotient of any such extension would be an acyclic $4$-manifold with boundary a related Brieskorn homology sphere. We briefly discuss well known invariants of homology spheres that obstruct acyclic bounding 4-manifolds, and then use a method based on equivariant Yang-Mills moduli spaces to rule out extensions of the actions.
A cyclic cover over the Riemann sphere branched at four points inherits a natural flat structure from the "pillow" flat structure on the basic sphere. We give an explicit formula for all individual Lyapunov exponents of the Hodge bundle over the corresponding arithmetic Teichmuller curve. The key technical element is evaluation of degrees of line subbundles of the Hodge bundle, corresponding to eigenspaces of the induced action of deck transformations.