Cut-disks for level spheres in link and tangle complements (Q1005173)

Let \(K\) be a knot or link in the 3-sphere. Roughly speaking, \(K\) is in thin position if it is in Morse position with respect to the standard height function in \(S^3\) and it has been isotoped so that if we consider a maximal collection of level spheres no two of which are parallel in the link complement, the sum of their intersections with the link is minimized. A level sphere is called thin if the highest critical point for \(K\) below it is a maximum and the lowest critical point above it is a minimum. \textit{A. Thompson} [Topology 36, No.~2, 505--507 (1997; Zbl 0867.57009)] showed that if \(K\) is in thin position and it has a thin sphere, i.e., it is not in bridge position, then there is an essential meridional sphere in the complement of the link. This was improved by \textit{Y. Q. Wu} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 132, No.~11, 3417--3421 (2004; Zbl 1055.57012)], who showed that a thin sphere of minimal width is in fact essential. This was generalized by the author [Topology Appl. 153, No.~15, 2987--2999 (2006; Zbl 1106.57006)], who studied compression disks for thin spheres. In the paper under review, the author further generalizes these results but now for cut-disks. Let \(F\) be a meridional surface for a link \(K\). A cut-disk for \(F\) is a disk \(D\) embedded in \(S^3\), with \(D\cap F=\partial D\), so that \(D\) intersects \(K\) in one point, and \(D-intN(K)\) is not parallel to an annulus in \(F\). The author studies vertical cut-disks for thin spheres of a link in thin position, that is, cut-disks that consist of the union of a vertical annulus and a level disk. In particular, it is shown that for a prime link \(K\) in thin position, the thin sphere of minimal width is essential and has no vertical cut-disks.