Primitive, proper power, and Seifert curves in the boundary of a genus two handlebody (Q2222113)

Let \(S\) be a genus \(2\) Heegaard surface of \(S^3\) bounding two handlebodies. A primitive/primitive (P/P) knot, resp. primitive/Seifert (P/SF) knot, is a simple closed curve \(\alpha\) on \(S\) such that \(2\)-handle addition to the handlebodies along \(\alpha\) yields solid tori, resp. a solid torus and a Seifert fiber space. Berge listed all P/P knots and conjectured that if a knot in \(S^3\) admits a lens space surgery, then it is one of these Berge knots. In a recent preprint Berge and Kang completed the classification of hyperbolic P/SF knots. An important role for obtaining such a list is played by a classification of certain essential curves on the boundary \(\partial H\) of a genus \(2\) handlebody \(H\). In the present paper the author obtains this classification. The essential curves \(\alpha\) are of three types: \(\alpha\) is called primitive if the \(3\)-manifold \(H[\alpha ]\) that is obtained from \(H\) by attaching a \(2\)-handle along \(\alpha\) is a solid torus, \(\alpha\) is called a proper power if \(\alpha\) is not primitive and is disjoint from a separating disk of \(H\), \(\alpha\) is called Seifert if \(\alpha\) is not primitive and \(H[\alpha ]\) is a Seifert fiber space. In each case the classification is in terms of the associated \(RR\)-diagram that was introduced by Osborne-Stevens. The author provides a list of all possible \(RR\)-diagrams of such curves. The classification of proper power curves may be used to determine if P/P or P/SF knots are hyperbolic. If \(\alpha\) is Seifert, a proper power curve disjoint from \(\alpha\) is a regular fiber of \(H[\alpha ]\) and can be used to compute the index of exceptional fibers.