The compressibility of checkerboard surfaces of link diagrams (Q2465540)

Let \(K\) be a link in \(S^3\) represented by a diagram in a sphere. Color the regions of the diagram with black and white in a checkerboard fashion. The union of the black regions together with a twisted band for each crossing gives a checkerboard surface \(\widehat F_1\) whose boundary is \(K\). Similarly, for the white regions we get a checkerboard surface \(\widehat F_2\). Let \(F_1\) and \(F_2\) be the boundary in \(S^3-K\) of a regular neighborhood of \(\widehat F_1\) and \(\widehat F_2\), respectively; \(F_1\) and \(F_2\) are called ch-surfaces. \textit{W. Menasco} and \textit{M. Thistlethwaite} showed that for a reduced prime alternating diagram checkerboard surfaces are always incompressible [Ann. Math. (2) 138, No.~1, 113--171 (1993; Zbl 0809.57002)]. In this paper the author studies the incompressibility of ch-surfaces for links, and gives an algorithm to determine if a given ch-surface is incompressible. Roughly speaking, the algorithm is as follows: Look at the intersection between \(N(\widehat F_1)\) and the projection sphere \(S\). Any compression disk must be in \(H=S^3-N(\widehat F_1)\). If there is a disk \(D\subset H\), with interior disjoint from \(S\), so that \(\partial D\) is divided in two arcs, one in \(S\) and one in \(F_1\), and so that \(\partial D\) bounds a disk in \(F_1\cup S\) intersecting \(K\), then \(D\) is potentially part of a compression disk for \(F_1\). Isotope \(N(F_1)\) through \(D\), to get a kind of generalized diagram. Continue with this procedure until there are no more such disks. Now, if there is a compression disk, it must be disjoint from the sphere \(S\), and it can be determined by inspection of the generalized diagram whether or not there is such a disk, determining then the incompressibility of \(F_1\). The author also determines the incompressibility of all the ch-surfaces for the usual diagrams of non-alternating knots up to 10 crossings.