No 2-knot has triple point number two or three (Q2574461)

It is known that a 2-knot has triple number less than two if and only if the knot is of ribbon type. The authors prove that there exist no 2-knots having triple point number two or three. This implies that the 2-twist-spun trefoil (having triple point number four) is, in a sense, the simplest non-ribbon 2-knot.