Knots in lens spaces with the 3-sphere surgery (Q2471685): Difference between revisions

It is an important problem to determine all knots that admit lens space surgery and the types of lens spaces obtainable from non-trivial knots by Dehn surgery. Doubly primitive knots, introduced by \textit{J. Berge} [Some knots with surgeries yielding lens spaces, unpublished manuscript], are conjectured to give all knots admitting lens space surgery. In fact, Berge gives a potentially complete list of doubly primitive knots. On the other hand, there are some results on the types of lens spaces obtainable from non-trivial knots by Dehn surgery. \textit{S. A. Bleiler} and \textit{R. A. Litherland} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 107, No. 4, 1127--1131 (1989; Zbl 0686.57007)] conjectured that a lens space \(L(p,q)\) with \(p<18\) is not obtainable from non-trivial non-torus knots. In a previous paper [Topology Appl. 154, No. 7, 1502--1515 (2007; Zbl 1115.57005)], the present author proved that this is true under the extra assumption that the knot is doubly primitive and the lens space surgery corresponds to the surface slope with respect to its doubly primitive position. A curious question, due to Kazuhiro Ichihara, motivates the present work. It asks whether a lens space \(L(p,q)\) with \(|q|<5\) is obtainable from a non-trivial non-torus knot. In fact, the answer is negative for \(q=0\) by \textit{C. McA. Gordon} and \textit{J. Luecke} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 2, No. 2, 371--415 (1989; Zbl 0678.57005)]. The case \(q=1\) was also solved to be negative by \textit{P. Kronheimer, T. Mrowka, P. Ozsváth} and \textit{Z. Szabó} [Ann. Math. (2) 165, No. 2, 457--546 (2007; Zbl 1204.57038)]. \textit{J. Rasmussen} [Geom. Topol. 8, 1013--1031 (2004; Zbl 1055.57010)] gave strong constraints for the cases \(q=2\) and \(3\). The main result in the present paper is to show that if a lens space \(L(p,q)\) is obtained from a non-trivial non-torus doubly primitive knot by the surface slope surgery then \(|q|\geq 5\). The argument is a detailed analysis on the dual knot in the lens space. Suppose that a lens space \(L(p,q)\) is created from a doubly primitive knot by the surface slope surgery. Then it is known that the dual knot, which is a core of the attached solid torus, has a canonical form described by one parameter. Conversely, not all knots described by such a form in \(L(p,q)\) admit Dehn surgery yielding the 3-sphere. A necessary condition for it was given by the author [op. cit.]. The present paper improves this condition. Using this, the author determines all lens spaces \(L(p,q)\) with \(|q|<5\) and all knots in them admitting a surgery yielding the \(3\)-sphere. The result says that only torus knots are possible.