Crossing number of an alternating knot and canonical genus of its Whitehead double

DOI10.1016/J.TOPOL.2020.107516MaRDI QIDQ820659zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Hee Jeong Jang, Sang Youl Lee

Publication date 27 September 2021

Published in Topology and its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1409.0594

zbMATH Keywords

3-braid knot alternating knot canonical genus crossing number Morton's inequality Tripp's conjecture Whitehead double

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Knot theory (57K10)

Abstract: A conjecture proposed by J. Tripp in 2002 states that the crossing number of any knot coincides with the canonical genus of its Whitehead double. In the meantime, it has been established that this conjecture is true for a large class of alternating knots including

(2, n)

torus knots,

2

-bridge knots, algebraic alternating knots, and alternating pretzel knots. In this paper, we prove that the conjecture is not true for any alternating

3

-braid knot which is the connected sum of two torus knots of type

(2, m)

and

(2, n)

. This results in a new modified conjecture that the crossing number of any prime knot coincides with the canonical genus of its Whitehead double. We also give a new large class of prime alternating knots satisfying the conjecture, including all prime alternating

3

-braid knots.

Review text

Let \(K\) be a non-trivial knot and \(W_K\) be some of its Whitehead doubles. We write \(c(K)\) for the crossing number of \(K\), and \(g_c\) for the canonical genus (the minimal genus of all surfaces obtained by Seifert's algorithm). The following conjecture has been around for some time, attributed here to [\textit{J. J. Tripp}, J. Knot Theory Ramifications 11, No. 8, 1233--1242 (2002; Zbl 1024.57013)]. Conjecture 1. \(c(K)=g_c(W_K)\). It is very easy to observe that \(c(K) \ge g_c(W_K)\) holds, so the question is how to estimate \(g_c(W_K)\) from below. The only really viable tool to estimate \(g_c(W_K)\) (in such case) is \textit{H. R. Morton}'s inequality [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 99, 107--109 (1986; Zbl 0588.57008)] \(2g_c(K')\ge \max\operatorname{deg}_mP(K')\) for the skein (HOMFLY) polynomial \(P(K')(l,m)\). Various partial results are known, but all seem kind of subsumed by the work in an unfortunately still unpublished paper of \textit{M. Brittenham} and \textit{J. Jensen} [``Canonical genus and the Whitehead doubles of families of alternating knots, \url{https://www.math.unl.edu/~mbrittenham2/papers/}]. Although they state their results in a far more restrictive way, the core of their argument (Proposition 4) is that when Conjecture 1 holds for an alternating Conway polyhedron, then it holds for any alternating knot derived from that polyhedron. There is a caveat here: even if a knot is derived, the polyhedron may be a link. This is best fixed by removing Whitehead double clasps, and working with satellite links, the patterns for each component being a reverse 2-cable. In particular it is very easy to test Conjecture 1 then for every alternating arborescent knot (not only pretzel knots). In the paper under review, the authors establish two points. First, they prove that Conjecture 1 is false for composite knots, in that it fails for connected sums of \((2,l)\)-torus knots. They then propose a modified version of Conjecture 1, as follows. Conjecture 2. If \(K\) is a knot with \(k\) prime factors, \(c(K)-k+1=g_c(W_K)\). Second, they prove that the conjecture holds for alternating 3-braid knots. This consists in a complicated evaluation of the skein polynomial of the (reverse 2-cable of the closed) braids \((\sigma_1\sigma_2^{-1})^n\). With Brittenham-Jensen this then establishes Conjecture 1 more generally for all (prime) alternating knots derived from the above Conway 3-braid polyhedra. In should be pointed out that the counterexamples to Conjecture 1 and the formulation of Conjecture 2 appear natural in light of a very related conjecture made (as a question) in a paper by \textit{M. E. Kidwell} and the reviewer [Mich. Math. J. 51, No. 1, 3--12 (2003; Zbl 1030.57009)]. We write \(F(K)(a,z)\) for Kauffman's (2-variable) polynomial. Conjecture 3. If \(K\) is a non-trivial knot, then \(2\max\operatorname{deg}_z F(K)+2= \max\operatorname{deg}_m P(W_K)\). For alternating knots, Conjecture 3 is equivalent to Conjecture 2, so we see it confirmed for many alternating knots. However, the truth of Conjecture 3 for (all tested so far) non-alternating knots also makes clear why Morton's inequality is not strong enough to yield Conjecture 1 (or Conjecture 2) for non-alternating knots. The only modest insight in that case comes from a very recent paper of the reviewer [J. Symb. Comput. 101, 242--269 (2020; Zbl 1453.57008)] showing (with more diversified methods and in a somewhat broader setting) that \(g_c(W_K)\ge 3\).

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