Knots of tunnel number one and meridional tori (Q2397673)

This paper characterizes tunnel number one knots \(K\) in the 3-sphere such that the exterior of \(K\) contains an essential meridional torus with two boundary components. A knot \(K\) is of tunnel number one if there is a pair of a simple closed curve \(\tau_1\) and a simple arc \(\tau_2\) joining \(\tau_1\) to \(K\) such that the exterior of \(K\cup \tau_2\cup \tau_1\) is a genus two handlebody. Further if \(\tau_1\) is unknotted in the 3-sphere, then \(K\) is known to be a \((1,1)\)-knot. The union \(\tau_1\cup \tau_2\) is often regarded as a simple arc \(\tau\) expressed by \(\tau_2 \tau_1 \tau_2^{-1}\) under appropriate orientations. Such a simple arc \(\tau\) is called an unknotting tunnel of \(K\). A surface properly embedded in the exterior of \(K\) is said to be meridional if all its boundary components are meridian curves of \(K\). In previous work, the first author with \textit{E. Ramírez-Losada} gave a construction of \((1,1)\)-knots that contain essential meridional surfaces in their exteriors [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 361, No. 2, 671--696 (2009; Zbl 1162.57004)]. There they proved the following: there are three families of \((1,1)\)-knots that contain essential meridional tori with two boundary components. Conversely, if a \((1,1)\)-knot contains such a surface, then it belongs to one of the three families. Let \(K\) be a tunnel number one knot and \(\tau\) its unknotting tunnel. Suppose that the exterior of \(K\) contains an essential meridional torus \(S\) with two boundary components. In this paper, the authors show that if \(S\cap \tau\neq\emptyset\), then \(K\) is a \((1,1)\)-knot and that if \(S\cap \tau =\emptyset\), then \(K\) is an iterate of a satellite knot of tunnel number one and its unknotting tunnel which was already introduced by the first author [Bol. Soc. Mat. Mex., III. Ser. 6, No. 2, 263--277 (2000; Zbl 0976.57006)].