Symmetries of nonelliptic Montesinos links (Q1085838)

A link in \(S^ 3\) is a finite family of disjoint closed curves, smoothly embedded in \(S^ 3\). A knot is a link with only one component. For a link in \(S^ 3\), let the symmetry group of L, \(Sym(S^ 3,L)\), be defined as the group of pairwise isotopy classes of diffeomorphisms of the pair \((S^ 3,L):\) that is \(Sym(S^ 3,L)=\pi _ 0Diff(S^ 3,L)\). In this paper we explicitly compute this group for the class of nonelliptic (n.e.) Montesinos links; these links are a generalization of the pretzel links, and they form an important subclass of the algebraic links in the sense of Conway. We do it in the following way: we define a canonical homomorphism \(\gamma\) : Sym(S\({}^ 3,L)\to Out O(L)=Aut O(L)/Inn O(L)\), where O(L) is the ''\(\pi\)-orbifold group'' of the link, isomorphic to the factor group of \(\pi _ 1(S^ 3-L)\) by the subgroup normally generated by the squares of all meridian elements in \(\pi _ 1(S^ 3-L)\) (a meridian element in \(\pi _ 1(S^ 3-L)\) is an element which can be represented by the boundary of a small disk meeting L transversely in one point). Then, using Thurston's hyperbolization theorem, we show that for n.e. Montesinos links \(\gamma\) is in fact an isomorphism. Now, for Montesinos links L, O(L) has a very nice geometric interpretation, and we easily compute Out O(L) for these links. The symmetry groups of n.e. Montesinos links with \(r\geq 4\) branches have previously been computed by Bonahon-Siebenmann (to appear), using more elementary geometric methods. There remained the case \(r=3\) branches (about 25\% of the knots of up to 11 crossings belong to this class); this has been first treated by the first author (not published), using geometric methods, but now also using Thurston's theorem. The present more algebraic approach is the shortest and most straightforward one, treating the case of all n.e. Montesinos links. We also give geometric realizations in \(S^ 3\) of the elements of \(Sym(S^ 3,L)\), and a list of the groups \(Sym(S^ 3,L)\) for n.e. Montesinos links up to 10 crossings, together with the free and cyclic periods of the links. For the computation of the periods Thurston's theorem is not needed (it is needed only for the computation of the whole symmetry group).