Chebyshev diagrams for two-bridge knots (Q649040): Difference between revisions

The authors study knots as real smooth space curves in the 3-sphere with parametrization given by the classical Chebyshev polynomials \(T_n(t) = \cos(n\arccos(t))\). In view of their own theorem [J. Knot Theory Ramifications 20, No. 4, 575--593 (2011; Zbl 1218.57009)] any knot is, in fact, isotopic to a Chebyshev knot \(C(a,b,c,\varphi)\) with parametrization \(x = T_{a}(t),\, y = T_{b}(t), \, z = T_{c}(t+\varphi),\) where \(t\in \mathbb R,\) \(a\) and \(b\) are coprime integers, \(c\) is an integer and \(\varphi\) is a real constant. When \(a,b,c\) are coprime then \(C(a,b,c,0)\) is called a harmonic knot. In the paper under review a complete classification of harmonic knots with \(a \leq 3\) is given. In addition, the authors describe an explicit parametrization for all two-bridge knots [\textit{J. H. Conway}, in: Comput. Probl. abstract Algebra, Proc. Conf. Oxford 1967, 329--358 (1970; Zbl 0202.54703)]. It should be underlined that the paper contains many interesting pictures and examples such as the torus knots, twist knots, Stevedore knots, etc. Moreover, almost all results are derived from elementary properties of continued fractions and their matrix representations.