Standard spatial graph (Q1190711)

The author makes an attempt to find the ``simplest'' embedding, or the ``standard'' embedding, of a finite graph \(G\) into \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\). To do this he introduces the concept of a book presentation of a spatial graph as follows: Let \(\ell\) be a straight line in \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\), and let \(P\) be a half plane in \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\) with \(\partial P=\ell\). Let \(n\) be a positive integer, and let \(g\) be the \(2\pi/n\)-rotation around \(\ell\). Put \({\mathcal B}_ n=\bigcup^{n-1}_{i=0}g^ i(P)\), and call it a book with \(n\)-sheets. A book presentation of \(G\) with \(n\)-sheets is an embedding \(\psi:G\to\mathbb{R}^ 3\) such that (1) \(\psi\) (vertics of \(G)\subset\ell\), (2) for each edge \(e\) of \(G\), either \(\psi(e)\subset\ell\) or \(\psi(\text{Int}(e))\subset\text{Int}(g^ i(P))\) for some \(i\), and (3) \(\text{Int}(g^ i(P))\cap\psi(G)\neq\emptyset\) for each \(i\). After observing that every finite graph has a book presentation, he restricts his attention to the following situation: \(G\) contains a simple path \(\Delta\) containing all vertices of \(G\). (In this case, \(G\) is called a pseudo-Hamiltonian, and \(\Delta\) is called a Hamilton path.) A book presentation \(\psi:G\to\mathbb{R}^ 3\) is said to be a book presentation with respect to \(\Delta\) \((B.P.H.\Delta\) in brief), if \(\psi(\Delta)\subset\ell\). He shows that (i) every pseudo-Hamiltonian has a \(B.P.H.\Delta\), and (ii) every \(B.P.H.\Delta\) is locally unknotted, i.e., there is a basis \(\{x_ 1,\dots,x_ r\}\) of \(H_ 1(G;\mathbb{Z})\) and a map \(\varphi:\bigcup^ r_{i=1}D^ 2_ i\to R^ 3\), such that (1) \(\varphi|_{D^ 2_ i}\) is an embedding, \(\varphi(D^ 2_ i)\cap\psi(G)=\varphi(\partial D^ 2_ i)\), and \(\varphi(\partial D^ 2_ i)\) represents \(x_ i\), and (2) \(\varphi(\text{Int} D^ 2_ i)\cap\varphi(\text{Int} D^ 2_ j)=\emptyset\) if \(i\neq j\). In particular, it follows that \(K_ n\), the complete graph with \(n\)- vertices, has a locally unknotted spatial graph. Further, he gives a precise estimate of the number of sheets needed for \(B.P.H.\Delta\) of \(K_ n\), and shows that \(K_ 5\) has a unique \(B.P.H.\Delta\) with minimum sheets up to isotopy. Finally, he conjectures that any two \(B.P.H.\Delta\)s of \(K_ n\) with minimum sheets are equivalent modulo ``sheets translation'', and proposes to call these embeddings the standard spatial graphs of \(K_ n\).