arXiv subjects

Allison N. Miller

Publications and source records attributed to Allison N. Miller.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Knot traces and concordance

We give a method for constructing many pairs of distinct knots $K_0$ and $K_1$ such that the two 4-manifolds obtained by attaching a 2-handle to $B^4$ along $K_i$ with framing zero are diffeomorphic. We use the d-invariants of Heegaard Floer homology to obstruct the smooth concordance of some of these $K_0$ and $K_1$, thereby disproving a conjecture of Abe in [Abe16]. As a consequence, we obtain a proof that there exist patterns $P$ in solid tori such that $P(K)$ is not always concordant to $P(U) \# K$ and yet whose action on the smooth concordance group is invertible.

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Winding number $m$ and $-m$ patterns acting on concordance

We prove that for any winding number $m>0$ pattern $P$ and winding number $-m$ pattern $Q$, there exist knots $K$ such that the minimal genus of a cobordism between $P(K)$ and $Q(K)$ is arbitrarily large. This answers a question posed by Cochran-Harvey [CH17] and generalizes a result of Kim-Livingston [KL05].

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Linking forms of amphichiral knots

We give a simple obstruction for a knot to be amphichiral, in terms of the homology of the 2-fold branched cover. We work with unoriented knots, and so obstruct both positive and negative amphichirality.

math.GT↗

arXiv2016

Ravels arising from Montesinos Tangles

A ravel is a spatial graph which is non-planar but contains no non-trivial knots or links. We characterize when a Montesinos tangle can become a ravel as the result of vertex closure with and without replacing some number of crossings by vertices.

math.GT↗

arXiv2016

The topological sliceness of 3-strand pretzel knots

We give a complete characterization of the topological slice status of odd 3-strand pretzel knots, proving that an odd 3-strand pretzel knot is topologically slice if and only if either it is ribbon or has trivial Alexander polynomial. (By work of [FS85], a nontrivial odd 3-strand pretzel knot $K$ cannot both be ribbon and have $Δ_K(t)=1$.) We also show that topologically slice even 3-strand pretzel knots (except perhaps for members of Lecuona's exceptional family of [Lec13]) must be ribbon. These results follow from computations of the Casson-Gordon 3-manifold signature invariants associated to the double branched covers of these knots.

math.GT↗

arXiv2015

A note on the topological sliceness of some 2-bridge knots

We use twisted Alexander polynomials to show that certain algebraically slice 2-bridge knots are not topologically slice, even though all prime power Casson-Gordon signatures vanish. We also provide some computations indicating the efficacy of Casson-Gordon signatures in obstructing the smooth sliceness of 2-bridge knots.

math.GT↗

arXiv2015

Distinguishing mutant pretzel knots in concordance

We prove that many pretzel knots of the form $P(2n,m,-2n\pm1,-m)$ are not topologically slice, even though their positive mutants $P(2n, -2n\pm1, m, -m)$ are ribbon. We use the sliceness obstruction of Kirk and Livingston related to the twisted Alexander polynomials associated to prime power cyclic covers of knots.

math.GT↗