Thin position for a connected sum of small knots (Q5961119)

Let \(K\) be a knot in the three-sphere \(S^{3}\). Suppose that a height function \(h\) on \(S^{3}\) is given and that the restriction \(h|_{K}\) is a Morse function. The width of \(K\) is the sum of the numbers of intersections of \(K\) and level spheres between two consecutive critical levels; the number is counted once for each consecutive pair of levels. A thin position for \(K\) is an embedding that minimizes the width. The concept of thin position was introduced by \textit{D.~Gabai} to prove Property R [J. Differ. Geom. 26, 479-536 (1987; Zbl 0639.57008)] and has been used for many results on knots, links and graphs in \(S^{3}\). In the paper under review the authors prove that if a connected sum of \(mp\)-small knots is in thin position, then it is given in an obvious way: stack the summands that are in thin position and connect the lowest point of each summand to the highest point of the summand just below. Here a knot is called \(mp\)-small if its exterior contains no meridional essential planar surface. Note that by \textit{M. Culler, C. McA. Gordon, J. Luecke}, and \textit{P. B. Shalen} [Ann. Math. (2) 125, 237-300 (1987; Zbl 0633.57006)], a small knot, a knot whose exterior contains no essential closed surface, is \(mp\)-small.