The region index and the unknotting number of a knot (Q511058)

In this paper, the author studies \textit{the region index of a knot}, a knot invariant introduced by A. Kawauchi, K. Kishimoto and A. Shimizu in 2013. Let \(D\) be a diagram of a knot in \(S^3\). A region crossing change at a region \(R\) of the diagram \(D\) is the transformation on \(D\) which consists in changing all crossings on the boundary of \(R\). It is known that, for any knot \(K\), there exists a diagram \(D\) such that \(D\) can be transformed into a diagram of the unknot by a region crossing change at some region \(R\) [\textit{H. Aida}, Tokyo J. Math. 15, No. 1, 111--121 (1992; Zbl 0773.57003)]. The corresponding diagram \(D\) is called the unknotting region diagram and the region \(R\) the unknotting region of \(D\). The region index of a knot \(K\) is defined to be the minimal number of crossings on the boundary of an unknotting region over all unknotting region diagrams of \(K\) and denoted by \(\mathrm{Reg}(K)\). The invariant \(\mathrm{Reg}(K)\) is related to \(u(K)\), the unknotting number of \(K\). The main results of the paper are Theorems 1.1 and 1.2. Theorem 1.1 provides for each integer \(n\geq 3\) a knot \(K\) with \(u(K)=n\) such that \(\mathrm{Reg}(K)=u(K)+1\). Theorem 1.2 provides a family of positive knots \(K\) for which the invariants \(\mathrm{Reg}(K)\) and \(u(K)\) coincide. The first assertion is proved by using the Goeritz invariants of links, while the second one is proved by using the Rasmussen invariant, a smooth concordance invariant of a knot which gives a lower bound for the \(4\)-ball genus [\textit{J. Rasmussen}, Invent. Math. 182, No. 2, 419--447 (2010; Zbl 1211.57009)]. Finally, the author calculates and compares the invariants \(\mathrm{Reg}\) and \(u\) for the Kanenobu knots \(K_{p,q}\).