Rational-Slice Knots via Strongly Negative-Amphicheiral Knots

We show that certain satellite knots of every strongly negative-amphicheiral rational knot are rational-slice knots. This proof also shows that the 0-surgery manifold of a certain strongly negative amphicheiral knot such as the figure-eight knot bounds a compact oriented smooth 4-manifold homotopy equivalent to the 2-sphere such that a second homology class of the 4-manifold is represented by a smoothly embedded 2-sphere if and only if the modulo two reduction of it is zero.     

Rational-slice Knots via Strongly Negative-amphicheiral Knots

We show that certain satellite knots of every strongly negative-amphicheiral rational knot are rational-slice knots. This proof also shows that the O-surgery manifold of a certain strongly negative amphicheiral knot such as the figure-eight knot bounds a compact oriented smooth 4-manifold homotopy equivalent to the 2-sphere such that a second homology class of the 4-manifold is represented by a smoothly embedded 2-sphere if and only if the modulo two reduction of it is zero.     

Topological imitation of a colored link with the same Dehn surgery manifold

By the topological imitation theory, we construct, from a given colored link, a new colored link with the same Dehn surgery manifold. In particular, we construct a link with a distinguished coloring whose Dehn surgery manifold is a given closed connected oriented 3-manifold except the 3-sphere. As a result, we can naturally generalize the difference between the Gordon–Luecke theorem and the property P conjecture to a difference between a link version of the Gordon–Luecke theorem and the Poincaré conjecture. Similarly, we construct a link with a π₁-distinguished coloring whose Dehn surgery manifold is a given non-simply-connected closed connected oriented 3-manifold. We also construct a link with just two colorings whose Dehn surgery manifolds are the 3-sphere.     

The polynomial invariants of twisted links

A twisted link is a generalization of a virtual link, which is related to a link diagram on a closed, possibly non-orientable surface. In this paper we generalize the Miyazawa polynomial invariant of a virtual link to an invariant of a twisted link in two formulae one of which is introduced by A. Ishii and the other by the author.     

Every nontrivial knot in has nontrivial A-polynomial

We show that every nontrivial knot in the -sphere has a non-trivial -polynomial.

     

Crosscap numbers of pretzel knots

The crosscap number of a knot in the 3-sphere is defined as the minimal first Betti number of non-orientable surfaces bounded by the knot. In this paper, we determine the crosscap numbers of a large class of pretzel knots. The key ingredient to obtain the result is the algorithm of enumerating all essential surfaces for Montesinos knots developed by Hatcher and Oertel.     

Refined Kirby calculus for three-manifolds of first homology groups of odd prime orders

Every integral homology 3-sphere is presented by a framed link with framing ±1 and without linking numbers. Restricting such presentations, Habiro arranged Kirby calculus so that it preserves framings and linkings and moreover showed that his calculus suffices to relate all links with the same results. This paper provides an extension of his result for manifolds of first homology groups of odd prime orders. After defining our set of links, we establish Habiro calculus over it, and show that, for many orders, it works on those manifolds. We further give the existence of the Casson-Walker invariant for them.     

Higher dimensional cable knots and their finite cyclic covering spaces

As an analogue of the classical cable knot, the p-cable n-knot about an n-knot K, where p is an integer and n?2, is defined, and some basic properties of higher dimensional cable knots are described. We show that for p>0 then p-fold branched cyclic covering space of an (n+2)-sphere branched over the p-cable knot about an n-knot K is an (n+2)-sphere or a homotopy (n+2)-sphere which is the result of Gluck-surgery on the composition of p copies of K according as if p is odd or even. At the same time, we prove that for any n?2 and p?2, the composition of p copies of any n-knot K is the fixed point set of a Z_p-action on an (n+2)-sphere. This is another counterexample to the higher dimensional Smith conjecture.     

A remark on the polytopality of an interesting 3-sphere

We give a simple proof establishing the polytopality of the 3-sphere described in [3].     

An alternative proof of Lickorish–Wallace theorem

We introduce the concept of s-distance of an unstabilized Heegaard splitting. We prove if a 3-manifold admits an unstabilized genus g Heegaard splitting with s-distance m  , then surgery on some (m−1)$(m-1)$ components link may produce a 3-manifold which admits a stabilized genus g Heegaard splitting. We also give an alternative proof of the fundamental theorem of surgery theory, which states that every closed orientable 3-manifold is obtained by surgery on some link in 3-sphere.     

Mayberry-Murasugi's formula for links in homology 3-spheres

We prove the Mayberry-Murasugi formula for links in homology 3-spheres, which was proved before only for links in the 3-sphere. Our proof uses Franz-Reidemeister torsions.

     

On alternation numbers of links

We construct infinitely many hyperbolic links with x-distance far from the set of (possibly, splittable) alternating links in the concordance class of every link. A sensitive result is given for the concordance class of every (possibly, split) alternating link. Our proof uses an estimate of the τ-distance by an Alexander invariant and the topological imitation theory, both established earlier by the author.     

On Invariants of Virtual Links

We propose a new method of generalizing classical link invariants for the case of virtual links. In particular, we have generalized the knot quandle, the knot fundamental group, the Alexander module, and the coloring invariants. The virtual Alexander module leads to a definition of VA-polynomial that has no analogue in the classical case (i.e. vanishes on classical links).     

Distance between toroidal surgeries on hyperbolic knots in the -sphere

For a hyperbolic knot in the -sphere, at most finitely many Dehn surgeries yield non-hyperbolic -manifolds. As a typical case of such an exceptional surgery, a toroidal surgery is one that yields a closed -manifold containing an incompressible torus. The slope corresponding to a toroidal surgery, called a toroidal slope, is known to be integral or half-integral. We show that the distance between two integral toroidal slopes for a hyperbolic knot, except the figure-eight knot, is at most four.

     

Determining Knotsw and Links by Cyclic Branched Coverings

It is well known that different knots or links in the 3-sphere can have homeomorphic n-fold cyclic branched coverings. We consider the following problem: for which values of nis a knot of link determined by itsn-fold cyclic branched covering? We consider the class of hyperbolic resp.2π/n-hyperbolic links. The isometry or symmetry groups of such links are finite, and their n-fold branched coverings are hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Our main result states that if ndoes not divide the order of the finite symmetry group of such a link, then the link is determined by its n-fold branched covering. In a sense, the result is best possible; the key argument of its proof is algebraic using some basic result about finite p-groups. The main result applies, for example, to the cyclic branched coverings of the 2-bridge links; in particular, it gives a classification of the maximally symmetricD₆-manifolds which are exactly the 3-fold branched coverings of the 2-bridge links.     

A geometric formula for Haefliger knots

Haefliger has shown that a smooth embedding of the (4k−1)-sphere in the 6k-sphere can be knotted in the smooth sense. In this paper, we give a formula with which we can detect the isotopy class of such a Haefliger knot. The formula is expressed in terms of the geometric characteristics of an extension, analogous to a Seifert surface, of the given embedding. In particular, the Hopf invariant associated to the extension plays a crucial role. This leads us to a new characterisation of Haefliger knots.     

Hyperbolic isometries versus symmetries of links

We prove that every finite group is the orientation-preserving isometry group of the complement of a hyperbolic link in the 3-sphere.     

Métriques autoduales sur la boule

A conformal metric on a 4-ball induces on the boundary 3-sphere a conformal metric and a trace-free second fundamental form. Conversely, such a data on the 3-sphere is the boundary of a unique selfdual conformal metric, defined in a neighborhood of the sphere. In this paper we characterize the conformal metrics and trace-free second fundamental forms on the 3-sphere (close to the standard round metric) which are boundaries of selfdual conformal metrics on the whole 4-ball. When the data on the boundary is reduced to a conformal metric (the trace-free part of the second fundamental form vanishes), one may hope to find in the conformal class of the filling metric an Einstein metric, with a pole of order 2 on the boundary. We determine which conformal metrics on the 3-sphere are boundaries of such selfdual Einstein metrics on the 4-ball. In particular, this implies the Positive Frequency Conjecture of LeBrun. The proof uses twistor theory, which enables to translate the problem in terms of complex analysis; this leads us to prove a criterion for certain integrable CR structures of signature (1,1) to be fillable by a complex domain. Finally, we solve an analogous, higher dimensional problem: selfdual Einstein metrics are replaced by quaternionic-K?hler metrics, and conformal structures on the boundary by quaternionic contact structures (previously introduced by the author); in contrast with the 4-dimensional case, we prove that any small deformation of the standard quaternionic contact structure on the (4m−1)-sphere is the boundary of a quaternionic-K?hler metric on the (4m)-ball. Oblatum 29-XI-2000 & 7-XI-2001?Published online: 1 February 2002     

Spaces of knots in the solid torus,knots in the thickened torus,and links in the 3-sphere

We recursively determine the homotopy type of the space of any irreducible framed link in the 3-sphere, modulo rotations. This leads us to the homotopy type of the space of any knot in the solid torus, thus answering a question posed by Arnold. We similarly study spaces of unframed links in the 3-sphere, modulo rotations, and spaces of knots in the thickened torus. The subgroup of meridional rotations splits as a direct factor of the fundamental group of the space of any framed link except the unknot. Its generators can be viewed as generalizations of the Gramain loop in the space of long knots. Taking the quotient by certain such rotations relates the spaces we study. All of our results generalize previous work of Hatcher and Budney. We provide many examples and explicitly describe generators of fundamental groups.