Volumes and degeneration of cone-structures on the figure-eight knot (Q2372716)

The authors study in some detail orbifolds arising from the gluing together of the upper and lower surfaces of a ``lens'' in such a way that the singular set becomes a figure eight knot. Thurston demonstrated a complete hyperbolic structure on the complement of the figure eight knot with this construction. Here other structures are obtained by suitable modifications. In particular, the structures for cone angles (the sum of the dihedral angles at identified edges) \(\theta\), where \(0 \leq \theta < 4\pi/3\), are examined, and geometric parameters found for the resulting manifolds in terms of a relation in the holonomy group. The case where the singular set degenerates to two intersecting circles is also studied. The authors assert that the methods are adaptable to any 2-bridge link orbifold.