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Abigail Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to Abigail Thompson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2022

The freeness Index of a graph

We define a new integer invariant of a finite graph G, the freeness index, that measures the extent to which G can be embedded in the 3-sphere so that it and its subgraphs have ``simple" complements, i.e., complements which are homeomorphic to a connect-sum of handlebodies. We relate the freeness index to questions of embedding graphs into surfaces, in particular to the orientable cycle double cover conjecture. We show that a cubic graph satisfying the orientable double cycle cover conjecture has freeness index at least two.

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arXiv2020

Cubic graphs induced by bridge trisections

Every embedded surface $\mathcal{K}$ in the 4-sphere admits a bridge trisection, a decomposition of $(S^4,\mathcal{K})$ into three simple pieces. In this case, the surface $\mathcal{K}$ is determined by an embedded 1-complex, called the $\textit{1-skeleton}$ of the bridge trisection. As an abstract graph, the 1-skeleton is a cubic graph $\Gamma$ that inherits a natural Tait coloring, a 3-coloring of the edge set of $\Gamma$ such that each vertex is incident to edges of all three colors. In this paper, we reverse this association: We prove that every Tait-colored cubic graph is isomorphic to the 1-skeleton of a bridge trisection corresponding to an unknotted surface. When the surface is nonorientable, we show that such an embedding exists for every possible normal Euler number. As a corollary, every tri-plane diagram for a knotted surface can be converted to a tri-plane diagram for an unknotted surface via crossing changes and interior Reidemeister moves.

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arXiv2019

Trisections and link surgeries

We examine questions about surgery on links which arise naturally from the trisection decomposition of 4-manifolds developed by Gay and Kirby. These links lie on Heegaard surfaces in $\#^j S^1 \times S^2$ and have surgeries yielding $\#^k S^1 \times S^2$. We describe families of links which have such surgeries. One can ask whether all links with such surgeries lie in these families; the answer is almost certainly no. We nevertheless give a small piece of evidence in favor of a positive answer.

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arXiv2019

Tangle decompositions of alternating link complements

Decomposing knots and links into tangles is a useful technique for understanding their properties. The notion of prime tangles was introduced by Kirby and Lickorish in [3]; Lickorish proved [5] that by summing prime tangles one obtains a prime link. In a similar spirit, summing two prime alternating tangles will produce a prime alternating link, if summed correctly with respect to the alternating property. Given a prime alternating link, we seek to understand whether it can be decomposed into two prime tangles each of which is alternating. We refine results of Menasco and Thistlethwaite to show that if such a decomposition exists either it is visible in an alternating link diagram or the link is of a particular form, which we call a pseudo-Montesinos link.

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arXiv2018

Alternating links have at most polynomially many Seifert surfaces of fixed genus

Let $L$ be a non-split prime alternating link with $n>0$ crossings. We show that for each fixed $g$, the number of genus-$g$ Seifert surfaces for $L$ is bounded by an explicitly given polynomial in $n$. The result also holds for all spanning surfaces of fixed Euler characteristic. Previously known bounds were exponential.

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arXiv2016

Dehn surgery on complicated fibered knots in the 3-sphere

Let K be a fibered knot in the 3-sphere. We show that if the monodromy of K is sufficiently complicated, then Dehn surgery on K cannot yield a lens space. Work of Yi Ni shows that if K has a lens space surgery then it is fibered. Combining this with our result we see that if K has a lens space surgery then it is fibered and the monodromy is relatively simple.

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arXiv2016

Tori and Heegaard splittings

Haken showed that the Heegaard splittings of reducible 3-manifolds are reducible, that is, a reducing 2-sphere can be found which intersects the Heegaard surface in a single simple closed curve. When the genus of the "interesting" surface increases from zero, more complicated phenomena occur. Kobayashi showed that if a 3-manifold $M^3$ contains an essential torus $T$, then it contains one which can be isotoped to intersect a strongly irreducible Heegaard splitting surface $F$ in a collection of simple closed curves which are essential in $T$ and in $F$. In general there is no global bound on the number of curves in this collection. We give conditions under which a global bound can be obtained.

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arXiv2014

Finding geodesics in a triangulated 2-sphere

Let S be a triangulated 2-sphere with fixed triangulation T. We apply the methods of thin position from knot theory to obtain a simple version of the three geodesics theorem for the 2-sphere [5]. In general these three geodesics may be unstable, corresponding, for example, to the three equators of an ellipsoid. Using a piece-wise linear approach, we show that we can usually find at least three stable geodesics.

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arXiv2011

Fibered knots and potential counterexamples to the Property 2R and Slice-Ribbon Conjectures

If there are any 2-component counterexamples to the Generalized Property R Conjecture, a least genus component of all such counterexamples cannot be a fibered knot. Furthermore, the monodromy of a fibered component of any such counterexample has unexpected restrictions. The simplest plausible counterexample to the Generalized Property R Conjecture could be a 2-component link containing the square knot. We characterize all two-component links that contain the square knot and which surger to (S^1 x S^2) # (S^1 x S^2). We exhibit a family of such links that are probably counterexamples to Generalized Property R. These links can be used to generate slice knots that are not known to be ribbon.

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arXiv2009

Invariants of curves in RP^2 and R^2

There is an elegant relation found by Fabricius-Bjerre [Math. Scand 40 (1977) 20--24] among the double tangent lines, crossings, inflections points, and cusps of a singular curve in the plane. We give a new generalization to singular curves in RP^2. We note that the quantities in the formula are naturally dual to each other in RP^2, and we give a new dual formula.

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arXiv2009

Fibered knots and Property 2R

It is shown, using sutured manifold theory, that if there are any 2-component counterexamples to the Generalized Property R Conjecture, then any knot of least genus among components of such counterexamples is not a fibered knot. The general question of what fibered knots might appear as a component of such a counterexample is further considered; much can be said about the monodromy of the fiber, particularly in the case in which the fiber is of genus two.

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arXiv2008

Surgery on a knot in (Surface x I)

Suppose F is a compact orientable surface, K is a knot in F x I, and N is the 3-manifold obtained by some non-trivial surgery on K. If F x {0} compresses in N, then there is an annulus in F x I with one end K and the other end an essential simple closed curve in F x {0}. Moreover, the end of the annulus at K determines the surgery slope. An application: suppose M is a compact orientable 3-manifold that fibers over the circle. If surgery on a knot K in M yields a reducible manifold, then either: the projection of K to S^1 has non-trivial winding number; or K lies in a ball; or K lies in a fiber; or K is a cabled knot.

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arXiv2008

Stabilization of Heegaard splittings

For each g greater than one there is a 3-manifold with two genus g Heegaard splittings that require g stabilizations to become equivalent. Previously known examples required at most one stabilization. Control of families of Heegaard surfaces is obtained through a deformation to harmonic maps.

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arXiv2007

On tunnel number one knots that are not (1,n)

We show that the bridge number of a $t$ bridge knot in $S^3$ with respect to an unknotted genus $t$ surface is bounded below by a function of the distance of the Heegaard splitting induced by the $t$ bridges. It follows that for any natural number $n$, there is a tunnel number one knot in $S^3$ that is not $(1,n)$.

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arXiv2006

Knots and k-width

We investigate several integer invariants of curves in 3-space. We demonstrate relationships of these invariants to crossing number and to total curvature.

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arXiv2004

On the additivity of knot width

It has been conjectured that the geometric invariant of knots in 3-space called the width is nearly additive. That is, letting w(K) in N denote the width of a knot K in S^3, the conjecture is that w(K # K') = w(K) + w(K') - 2. We give an example of a knot K_1 so that for K_2 any 2-bridge knot, it appears that w(K_1 # K_2) = w(K_1), contradicting the conjecture.

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arXiv2003

Surfaces, submanifolds, and aligned Fox reimbedding in non-Haken 3-manifolds

Understanding non-Haken 3-manifolds is central to many current endeavors in 3-manifold topology. We describe some results for closed orientable surfaces in non-Haken manifolds, and extend Fox's theorem for submanifolds of the 3-sphere to submanifolds of general non-Haken manifolds. In the case where the submanifold has connected boundary, we show also that the boundary-connected sum decomposition of the submanifold can be aligned with such a structure on the submanifold's complement.

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