Transverse-Legendrian links (Q2285205)

If \(\mathbb{T}^2\) is the two-dimensional torus \(\mathbb{S}^1\times\mathbb{S}^1\), \(\theta\), \(\varphi\) are the angular coordinates on \(\mathbb{T}^2\) running through \(\mathbb{R}/(2\pi\mathbb{Z})\), and \(p_\theta\), \(p_\varphi\) are the projection maps from \(\mathbb{T}^2\) to the first and the second \(\mathbb{S}^1\)-factors, respectively, then the three-sphere \(\mathbb{S}^3\) is regarded as the join \(\mathbb{S}^1*\mathbb{S}^1\) of two circles \(\mathbb{S}^3=\mathbb{S}^1\times\mathbb{S}^1\times[0;1]/\!\sim\) with respect to the associated coordinate system \(\theta\), \(\varphi\), \(\tau\), where \(\sim\) is the equivalence relation identifying \(\mathbb{S}^1\times\mathbb{S}^1\times\{0\}\) with the first factor in the join and \(\mathbb{S}^1\times\mathbb{S}^1\times\{1\}\) with the second factor, and the map \(p_{\theta,\varphi}:\mathbb{S}^3 \setminus (\mathbb{S}_{\tau=1}^1\cup\mathbb{S}_{\tau=0}^1)\to\mathbb{T}^2\) defined by \(p_{\theta,\varphi}(\theta,\varphi,\tau)=(\theta,\varphi)\) is called the torus projection. If a subset \(R\subset\mathbb{T}^2\) of \(\mathbb{T}^2\) is a decomposition \(R=R^+\sqcup R^-\) into disjoint union of two subsets \(R^+\) and \(R^-\) such that \(p_\theta(R^+)=p_\theta(R^-)\), \(p_\varphi(R^+)=p_\varphi(R^-)\), and each of \(p_\theta\), \(p_\varphi\) restricted to each of \(R^+\), \(R^-\) is injective, then \(R\) is called an oriented rectangular diagram of a link. The elements of \(R\) are called vertices of \(R\), and elements of \(R^+\) or \(R^-\) are called positive vertices or negative vertices of \(R\), respectively. Pairs \((u,v)\) of vertices of \(R\) such that \(p_\theta(u)=p_\theta(v)\) are called vertical edges of \(R\) and horizontal edges if \(p_\varphi(u)=p_\varphi(v)\). For every oriented rectangular diagram \(R\) of a link there is the associated oriented link \(\widehat{R}\subset\mathbb{S}^3\) defined as the closure of the preimage \(p_{\theta,\varphi}^{-1}(R)\) oriented so that \(\tau\) increases on the oriented arcs constituting \(p_{\theta,\varphi}^{-1}(R^+)\) and decreases on the oriented arcs constituting \(p_{\theta,\varphi}^{-1}(R^-)\). If \(R_1\) and \(R_2\) are rectangular diagrams of a link such that (i)\, \(\theta_1\ne\theta_2\), \(\varphi_1\ne\varphi_2\), (ii)\, the symmetric difference \(R_1\Delta R_2\) is \(\{\theta_1,\theta_2\}\times\{\varphi_1,\varphi_2\}\), (iii)\, the intersection of the rectangle \([\theta_1;\theta_2]\times[\varphi_1;\varphi_2]\) with \(R_1\cup R_2\) coincides with \(R_1\Delta R_2\), (iv)\, one, two, or three consecutive corners of the rectangle \([\theta_1;\theta_2]\times[\varphi_1;\varphi_2]\) belong to \(R_1\), and the other(s) to \(R_2\), (v)\, the orientations of \(R_1\) and \(R_2\) agree on \(R_1\cap R_2\), then it is said that the passage \(R_1\mapsto R_2\) is an elementary move. An elementary move \(R_1\mapsto R_2\) is called an exchange move if \(|R_1|=|R_2|\), a stabilization move if \(|R_2|=|R_1|+2\), and a destabilization move if \(|R_2|=|R_1|-2\), where \(|R|\) denotes the number of vertices of \(R\). There are two types and four oriented types of stabilizations and destabilizations. If \(R_1\mapsto R_2\) is a stabilization, and \(v\) is a unique element of \(R_1\cap\left([\theta_1;\theta_2]\times[\varphi_1;\varphi_2]\right)\), then the stabilization \(R_1\mapsto R_2\) and the destabilization \(R_2\mapsto R_1\) are said to be of type \(\mathrm{I}\) if \(v\in\{(\theta_1,\varphi_1),(\theta_2,\varphi_2)\}\), and of type \(\mathrm{II}\) if \(v\in\{(\theta_1,\varphi_2),(\theta_2,\varphi_1)\}\). If \(\varphi_0\in\{\varphi_1,\varphi_2\}\) is such that \(\{\theta_1,\theta_2\}\times\{\varphi_0\}\subset R_2\), then the stabilization \(R_1\mapsto R_2\) and the destabilization \(R_2\mapsto R_1\) are said to be of oriented type \(\overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}}\) or of oriented type \(\overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}}\) if both are of type \(\mathrm{I}\) or of type \(\mathrm{II}\) respectively, and \((\theta_2,\varphi_0)\) is a positive vertex of \(R_2\). If \((\theta_2,\varphi_0)\) is a negative vertex of \(R_2\), then they are said to be of oriented type \(\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}}\) or of oriented type \(\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\). If \(\mathscr{R}\) is the set of all rectangular diagrams of links, then for any subset \(\{T_1,\dots,T_k\}\) of \(\left\{\overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\}\) the relation \(\langle T_1,\dots,T_k\rangle\) is the equivalence relation on \(\mathscr{R}\) generated by all stabilizations and destabilizations of the oriented types \(T_i\) and exchange moves, and \([R]_{T_1,\dots,T_k}\) is the equivalence class of \(R\) in \(\mathscr{R}/\langle T_1,\dots,T_k\rangle\) for a rectangular diagram \(R\in\mathscr{R}\) of a link. Rectangular diagrams of links provide a convenient combinatorial framework for studying Legendrian and transverse links. There are naturally defined bijections, each respecting the topological type of the link, namely: \(\mathscr{R}/\left\langle \overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}}\right\rangle\cong\{\xi_+\text{-Legendrian link types}\}\), \(\mathscr{R}/\left\langle \overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\rangle\cong\{\xi_-\text{-Legendrian link types}\}\), \(\mathscr{R}/\left\langle \overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\rangle\cong\{\xi_+\text{-transverse link types}\}\), \(\mathscr{R}/\left\langle \overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}},\overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\rangle\cong\{\xi_-\text{-transverse link types}\}\). In this paper, the author proves that the map \[R\mapsto{\text{the topological type of}\ \widehat{R}}\] establishes a one-to-one correspondence between \(\mathscr{R}/\left\langle \overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\rangle\) and the set of all link types. The main result of the paper states that for any \(T\in\left\{\overrightarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overrightarrow{\mathrm{II}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{I}},\overleftarrow{\mathrm{II}}\right\}\), there is an algorithm for deciding whether or not \([R_1]_{T}=[R_2]_{T}\) for any two rectangular diagrams \(R_1\) and \(R_2\) of a link.