Gluck twisting roll spun knots (Q2163654)

For the unit sphere \(S^2 \subset \mathbb{R}^3\), let \(r_{\theta}:S^2\to S^2\) be the diffeomorphism that rotates \(S^2\) by an angle of \(\theta\) about the \(z\)-axis. The Gluck twist of \(S^4\) along a \(2\)-sphere \(S\) smoothly embedded in \(S^4\), is the smooth homotopy \(4\)-sphere \[ \Sigma_S=(S^4-\mathrm{int}~(N)) \cup_{\tau} N, \] where \(N\) is a regular neighborhood of \(S\) diffeomorphic to \(S^2\times D^2\), and \(\tau\) is the automorphism of \(\partial N \cong S^2 \times S^1\) sending \((x, \theta)\) to \((r_{\theta}(x), \theta)\). By the work of \textit{M. H. Freedman} [J. Differ. Geom. 17, 357--453 (1982; Zbl 0528.57011)], Gluck twists are in fact homeomorphic to \(S^4\), and so give a family of potential counterexamples to the smooth \(4\)-dimensional Poincaré conjecture. The authors give a list of knots whose Gluck twists are standard, i.e., diffeomorphic to the \(4\)-sphere. Gluck twists of twist roll spun knots are absent from the list of homotopy \(4\)-spheres known to be standard. They show that the smooth homotopy \(4\)-sphere obtained by Gluck twisting the \(m\)-twist \(n\)-roll spin of any unknotting number one knot is diffeomorphic to the standard \(4\)-sphere, for any \(m, n \in \mathbb{Z}\). It follows as a corollary that an infinite collection of twisted doubles of Gompf's infinite-order corks are standard.