The spectrum of the growth rate of the tunnel number is infinite (Q2809217)

The second and third author [J. Reine Angew. Math. 592, 63--78 (2006; Zbl 1168.57007)] defined \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K)\), the growth rate of the tunnel number of a knot \(K\) in a closed orientable 3-manifold \(M\), as a measure of the asymptotic behaviour of the Heegaard genus of the exterior of the sum of \(n\) copies of \(K\), as \(n\to\infty\). If \(M=S^3\) then \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K)<1\). If \(K\) is a torus knot or a 2-bridge knot then \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K)=0\); this invariant has been shown to be nonzero in some other cases. The main result of this paper is the construction of a family of hyperbolic knots \(K^n\) with genus 2, and such that the exterior has no embedded essential surfaces with boundary a set of copies of the meridian, and the ``torus bridge index'' of \(K^n\) grows without bound. For these knots, \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K^n)\) may be expressed in terms of the bridge index and the torus bridge index, and it follows easily that \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K^n)\) tends to 1 as \(n\to\infty\). In particular, \(\mathrm{gr}_t(K)\) takes on infinitely many values as \(K\) varies.