The classification of nonsimple algebraic tangles

DOI10.1007/BF01446301MaRDI QIDQ1910169zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Ying-Qing Wu

Publication date 24 November 1996

Published in Mathematische Annalen (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://eudml.org/doc/165411

zbMATH Keywords

Montesinos tanglenonsimple algebraic tangles

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General geometric structures on low-dimensional manifolds (57M50)

Review text

A tangle \(T\) is a pair of strings \(t_1 \cup t_2\) properly embedded in a 3-ball \(B\). It is called simple if the complement of an open regular neighborhood of the strings is a simple 3-manifold, i.e. a manifold which is irreducible, \(\partial\)-irreducible, atoroidal, and anannular, or equivalently (by Thurston), a manifold which admits a hyperbolic metric with totally geodesic boundary. A tangle is algebraic in the sense of Conway if it can be obtained by summing rational tangles together in various ways. In general it is difficult to determine whether a tangle is simple. The main theorem of this paper will give a complete classification of all nonsimple algebraic tangles. In particular, if \(T\) is a Montesinos tangle \(M(r_1,r_2)\), then it is nonsimple if and only if \(T = M(r_1,1/2n)\) or \(M(1/p,1/q)\). For Montesinos tangle \(T = M(r_1,\dots, r_n)\) with \(n \geq 3\), it is nonsimple if and only if, for some integer \(k\), either \(r_1\) or \(r_n\) is \(1/2k \bmod Z\). We will show that the simplicity of the tangles given by Jaco, Ruberman and Thurston follows immediately from our result.

Recommendations

• N-string tangles
• Simple links and tangles
• An algorithm to classify rational 3-tangles
• The untangling theorem

Cites work

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Cited in

(21)

• Heegaard splittings of twisted torus knots
• Hyperbolicity of arborescent tangles and arborescent links
• Tangle analysis of difference topology experiments: applications to a Mu protein-DNA complex
• Ravels arising from Montesinos tangles
• Dehn surgery on arborescent knots and links. -- A survey
• Dehn surgery on knots of wrapping number 2
• The classification of rational subtangle replacements between rational tangles
• N-string tangles
• Incompressible surfaces in link complements
• A 4-string tangle analysis of DNA-protein complexes based on difference topology
• Lonely knots and tangles: Identifying knots with no companions
• Dehn surgery on arborescent links
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6990159 (Why is no real title available?)
• CLOSED ESSENTIAL SURFACES AND WEAKLY REDUCIBLE HEEGAARD SPLITTINGS IN MANIFOLDS WITH BOUNDARY
• Closed incompressible surfaces in knot complements
• Two More Proofs that the Kinoshita Graph is Knotted
• The untangling theorem
• Simple links and tangles
• 1-dominations between Montesinos knots with at least 6 rational tangles
• Realizing Alexander polynomials by hyperbolic links
• Rational structure on algebraic tangles and closed incompressible surfaces in the complements of algebraically alternating knots and links

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