A discrete Morse perspective on knot projections and a generalised clock theorem

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clock theorem discrete Morse theory Kauffman states Kenyon-Propp-Wilson correspondence KPW correspondence

Planar graphs; geometric and topological aspects of graph theory (05C10) Edge subsets with special properties (factorization, matching, partitioning, covering and packing, etc.) (05C70) Knot theory (57K10) Relations of low-dimensional topology with graph theory (57M15) Discrete Morse theory and related ideas in manifold topology (57Q70)

Abstract: We obtain a simple and complete characterisation of which matchings on the Tait graph of a knot diagram induce a discrete Morse function (dMf) on

S^{2}

, extending a construction due to Cohen. We show these dMfs are in bijection with certain rooted spanning forests in the Tait graph. We use this to count the number of such dMfs with a closed formula involving the graph Laplacian. We then simultaneously generalise Kauffman's Clock Theorem and Kenyon-Propp-Wilson's correspondence in two different directions; we first prove that the image of the correspondence induces a bijection on perfect dMfs, then we show that all perfect matchings, subject to an admissibility condition, are related by a finite sequence of click and clock moves. Finally, we study and compare the matching and discrete Morse complexes associated to the Tait graph, in terms of partial Kauffman states, and provide some computations.

Review text

Discrete Morse theory is a combinatorial analogue of Morse Theory for regular cell complexes introduced by \textit{R. Forman} in the nineties [in: Geometry, topology and physics for Raoul Bott. Lectures of a conference in honor of Raoul Bott's 70th birthday, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA 1993. Cambridge, MA: International Press. 112--125 (1995; Zbl 0867.57018); Adv. Math. 134, No. 1, 90--145 (1998; Zbl 0896.57023)]. Let \(D\) be a knot diagram and let us denote by \(\Gamma(D)\) its associated Tait graph. Recently, Cohen developed a method to associate to each matching on \(\Gamma(D)\) a family of discrete Morse functions (in the sense of Forman) on the sphere \(\mathbb{S}^2\) (see [\textit{M. Cohen}, ``A correspondence between complexes and knots, Preprint, \url{arXiv:1211.2553}] and [\textit{M. Cohen} and \textit{M. Teicher}, Electron. J. Comb. 21, No. 4, Research Paper P4.31, 39 p. (2014; Zbl 1302.57017)]) In the work under review, the authors extend Cohen's work. First, they introduce novel definitions and obtain new insightful results, such as a complete characterization of the set of possible discrete Morse functions arising from a generalised version of Cohen's construction (Theorem 12). Second, they raise open questions suggesting novel directions for further research. The main result of the article is a simultaneous further generalisation of the Clock theorem (see Theorem 2.4 of [\textit{L. H. Kauffman}, Formal knot theory. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ (1983; Zbl 0537.57002)]) and the Kenyon-Propp-Wilson correspondence (see Theorem 1 of [\textit{R. W. Kenyon} et al., Electron. J. Comb. 7, No. 1, Research paper R25, 34 p. (2000; Zbl 0939.05066)]): \textbf{Theorem 30} (Click-Clock). If the diagram \(D\) is reduced, any two perfect admissible matchings on \(\Gamma(D)\) are related by a finite sequence of click path, click loop and clock moves. As a consequence of the proof of Theorem 30, two perfect discrete Morse functions can be transformed into one another by clock and click path moves -- or only clock moves of Type I if they share the same critical points (this last part is Kauffman's original Clock Theorem); furthermore, if these two discrete Morse functions share the same Jordan trail (see Definition 4), then they differ by at most two click path moves.

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Kauffman's clock lattice as a graph of perfect matchings: a formula for its height

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