Numerical irreducibility criteria for handlebody links (Q2216588)

The authors contribute to the ability to detect whether a handlebody link in \(S^3\) is reducible. In this paper they show a number of algebraic conditions are necessary if a handlebody link is reducible. These conditions are ``practical'' and are utilized to verify that a variety of handlebody links in existing tables are not reducible. Roughly speaking, a handlebody link is reducible when there is an imbedded \(S^2\) which intersects the handlebody in a disc and separates the link into two non-trivial pieces. This separation into non-trivial pieces induces a factorization of the group of the link into a non-trivial free product. This factorization is captured by the authors by counting conjugacy classes of homomorphisms of the group into \(A_4\) and \(A_5\). In more detail, here is one example: Let \(ks_{A_4}(HL)\) denote the number of conjugacy classes of homomorphisms of the knot group \(G_{HL}\) into \(A_4\). Let \(g\) denote the (total) genus of the handlebody link \(HL\). One of the authors' theorems states that if the trivial knot is a factor of some factorization of HL then \[12|ks_{A_4}(HL) + 6 \cdot 3^{g-1} + 2 \cdot 4^{g-1}.\] The paper ends with a brief discussion of, and some results on the knot sum of handlebody links.