Ropelength criticality

DOI10.2140/GT.2014.18.1973zbMATH Open1305.57008arXiv1102.3234OpenAlexW3037556638MaRDI QIDQ463142FDOQ463142

Robert B. Kusner, Joseph H. G. Fu, John M. Sullivan, Jason Cantarella

Publication date: 16 October 2014

Published in: Geometry \& Topology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The ropelength problem asks for the minimum-length configuration of a knotted diameter-one tube embedded in Euclidean three-space. The core curve of such a tube is called a tight knot, and its length is a knot invariant measuring complexity. In terms of the core curve, the thickness constraint has two parts: an upper bound on curvature and a self-contact condition. We give a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for criticality with respect to this constraint, based on a version of the Kuhn-Tucker theorem that we established in previous work. The key technical difficulty is to compute the derivative of thickness under a smooth perturbation. This is accomplished by writing thickness as the minimum of a $C^1$-compact family of smooth functions in order to apply a theorem of Clarke. We give a number of applications, including a classification of the "supercoiled helices" formed by critical curves with no self-contacts (constrained by curvature alone) and an explicit but surprisingly complicated description of the "clasp" junctions formed when one rope is pulled tight over another.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1102.3234

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zbMATH Keywords

constrained minimizationropelengthClarke gradientideal knotKuhn-Tucker theoremreachsimple clasptight knot

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Nonsmooth analysis (49J52) Curves in Euclidean and related spaces (53A04)

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Cited In (13)

• A topological problem concerning the geometry of a rope. II
• Discrete thickness
• Discrete thickness
• Criticality for the Gehring link problem
• Dynamics of embedded curves by doubly-nonlocal reaction–diffusion systems
• Shape optimization of self-avoiding curves
• The tightest knot is not necessarily the smallest
• A Gordian pair of links
• Tight conformation of 2-bridge knots using superhelices
• Symmetric elastic knots
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• On the minimum ropelength of knots and links
• A descent scheme for thick elastic curves with self-contact and container constraints

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