Classification of alternating knots with tunnel number one (Q2580235): Difference between revisions

A knot \(K\) in the oriented \(3\)-sphere \(\mathbb S^3\) has \textsl{tunnel number one} if it has an unknotting tunnel, which is defined to be an arc \(t\) properly embedded in the knot exterior such that \(\mathbb S^3 \backslash \text{int} N(K\cup t)\) is a handlebody. As usual, \(N\) denotes a regular neighbourhood of the considered space. It is in general a very difficult problem to determine whether a given knot has tunnel number one, and if it has, to determine all its unknotting tunnels. In this nice paper the author gives a complete classification of alternating knots with tunnel number one, and all their unknotting tunnels, up to ambient isotopy of the knot exterior. The following is the main result of the paper. {Theorem 1.} The alternating knots with tunnel number one are precisely the two-bridge knots and the Montesinos knots \((e ; \;p/q, \;\pm 1/2, \;p'/q')\), where \(q\) and \(q'\) are odd. This result was proved by Shimokawa in the case where the unknotting tunnel is isotopic to an embedded arc in some region of the diagram [see \textit{K. Shimokawa}, J. Math. Sci., Tokyo 5, 547--560 (1998; Zbl 0939.57006)]. A large part of the paper under review is a proof that this must always be the case. In fact, the author proves the following further result. {Theorem 2.} Let \(D\) be a reduced alternating diagram for a knot \(K\). Then any unknotting tunnel for \(K\) is isotopic to an unknotting tunnel that is an embedded arc in some region of the diagram.