The hexatangle (Q1009754)

The authors consider closed pure 3-braids having the form \(\sigma_1^{2 e_1} \sigma_2^{2 f_1} ( \sigma_2 \sigma_1 \sigma_2 )^{2 e} \), where \(\sigma_1 , \sigma_2\) indicate the generators of the 3-braid group and \(e_1 , f_1 , e\) denote integers. They actually give a complete classification of the braids of such a form which admit integral surgeries producing the 3-sphere. This is achieved by translating the problem into the filling problem onto a specific tangle, which they call ``hexatangle''. Studying the hexatangle is interesting by itself, for it is a generalization of the ``pentangle'' which was introduced and studied by \textit{C. McA. Gordon} and \textit{J. Luecke} [Commun. Anal. Geom. 12, No. 1--2, 417--485 (2004; Zbl 1062.57006)]. As a corollary, they show that there are infinitely many hyperbolic pure 3-braids with a non-trivial surgery producing the 3-sphere.