Exceptional and cosmetic surgeries on knots (Q514359)

The main invariant considered in the present paper is the bridge distance \(d_{\mathcal C}(L)\) of a knot \(L\) in a 3-manifold \(M\), defined by considering minimal genus bridge surfaces of the knot and the associated distance in the curve complex \(\mathcal C\) of such a surface (in strong analogy with the distance of a Heegaard surface of a Heegaard splitting). ``We show that the bridge distance of a knot determines a lower bound on the genera of essential surfaces and Heegaard surfaces in the manifolds obtained by non-trivial Dehn surgeries on the knot. In particular, knots with high bridge distance do not admit non-trivial non-hyperbolic surgeries or non-trivial cosmetic surgeries.'' The \textit{bridge number} \(b(L)\) of a knot or link \(L\) in a 3-manifold \(M\) is obtained by minimizing half the number of intersection points of \(L\) with minimal genus bridge surfaces of \((M,L)\). Similar as for Heegaard surfaces, to each bridge surface is assigned a distance in the curve complex \(\mathcal C\) of the surface, and the \textit{bridge distance} \(d_{\mathcal C}(L)\) of \(L\) is defined as the supremum (in fact a maximum in various cases) of the distances of all minimal bridge surfaces. The main results of the present paper can then be summarized as follows. Let \(M\) be a closed, orientable, irreducible 3-manifold and \(L\) a knot in \(M\) whose exterior is irreducible and \(\partial\)-irreducible. If \(M = S^3\) then, excluding a few small values of \(d_{\mathcal C}(L)\) in each case as well as of \(b(L)\) in some case, the knot \(L\) does not admit a reducible, toroidal, lens space or small Seifert fiber space surgery. If \(M\) is hyperbolic and \(d_{\mathcal C}(L) \geq 13\) then every surgery on \(M\) produces a hyperbolic manifold. Considering also the Heegaard genus \(g\) of \(M\), if \(d_{\mathcal C}(L) \geq \text{max} (7, 4g+5)\) then \(L\) does not admit non-trivial cosmetic surgeries (distinct surgeries producing homeomorphic manifolds); in particular, if \(d_{\mathcal C}(L) \geq 7\) then \(L\) does not admit a non-trivial surgery producing \(S^3\). If \(g \geq 1\) and \(d_{\mathcal C}(L) \geq 4g+5\) then every surgery on \(L\) produces a 3-manifold of Heegaard genus at least \(g+1\). Finally, using the relationship between bridge number, bridge distance and the genera of essential surfaces in the knot exterior, the following connection between the Seifert genus \(g(L)\) and the bridge number \(b(L)\) of a knot is obtained: If \(L\) is a knot in a homology sphere and \(d_{\mathcal C}(L) \geq 3\) then \(b(L) \leq 4g(L) + 2\).