Twisted surfaces (Q862878)

The author considers triples \((S, G, J)\) in \(S^3\), where \(S\) is a 2-manifold with boundary, \(G\) is a circle together with \(n\) oriented chords, and \(J\) is an oriented arc on the circle. Moreover \(S\) is a regular neighborhood of \(G\) in \(S\). For such triples the author defines a condition called \textit{laundry condition} which is similar to being unknotted. The name laundry condition arises from the fact that triples satisfying the condition can be drawn in such a way where the arc \(J\) represents a ''laundry line''. The main theorem gives elementary necessary and sufficient conditions for two such triples to be equivalent by ambient isotopy. The surfaces of interest can arise from an augmented ribbon model of unknotted single domain protein.