arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Daniel S. Silver.
A group invariant for links in thickened closed orientable surfaces is studied. Associated polynomial invariants are defined. The group detects nontriviality of a virtual link and determines its virtual genus.
The virtual genus of a virtual satellite link is equal to that of its companion.
Let ϕbe an endomorphism of a finitely generated free group F, and let H be a finite-index subgroup of F that is invariant under ϕ. The nonzero eigenvalues of ϕare contained in the eigenvalues of ϕrestricted to H.
Let L be an oriented (d+1)-component link in the 3-sphere, and let L(q) be the d-component link in a homology 3-sphere that results from performing 1/q-surgery on the last component. Results about the Alexander polynomial and twisted Alexander polynomials of L(q) corresponding to finite-image representations are obtained. The behavior of the invariants as q increases without bound is described.
A finitely generated module over the ring L=Z[t, t^{-1}] of integer Laurent polynomials that has no Z-torsion is determined by a pair of sub-lattices of L^d. Their indices are the absolute values of the leading and trailing coefficients of the order of the module. This description has applications in knot theory.
Twisted Alexander invariants have been defined for any knot and linear representation of its group. The invariants are generalized for any periodic representation of the commutator subgroup of the knot group. Properties of the new twisted invariants are given. Under suitable hypotheses, reciprocality and bounds on the moduli of zeros are obtained. A topological interpretation of the Mahler measure of the invariants is presented. Keywords: Knot, twisted Alexander polynomial, representation shift, Mahler measure.
The group of any nontrivial torus knot, hyperbolic 2-bridge knot, or hyperbolic knot with unknotting number one contains infinitely many elements, none the automorphic image of another, such that each normally generates the group.
We generalize a theorem of Burde and de Rham characterizing the zeros of the Alexander polynomial. Given a representation of a knot group $π$, we define an extension of $π$, the Crowell group. For any GL(n,C) representation of $π$, the zeros of the associated twisted Alexander polynomial correspond to representations of the Crowell group into the group of dilations of C^n.
X.S. Lin's original definition of twisted Alexander knot polynomial is generalized for arbitrary finitely presented groups. J. Cha's fibering obstruction theorem is generalized. The group of a nontrivial virtual knot shown by L. Kauffman to have trivial Jones polynomial is seen also to have a faithful representation that yields a trivial twisted Alexander polynomial.
Given a knot and an SL(n,C) representation of its group that is conjugate to its dual, the representation that replaces each matrix with its inverse-transpose, the associated twisted Reidemeister torsion is reciprocal. An example is given of a knot group and SL(3,Z) representation that is not conjugate to its dual for which the twisted Reidemeister torsion is not reciprocal.
The Pontryagin dual of the twisted Alexander module for a d-component link and GL(N,Z) representation is an algebraic dynamical system with an elementary description in terms of colorings of a diagram. In the case of a knot, its associated topological entropy is the logarithmic growth rate of the number of torsion elements in the twisted first-homology group of r-fold cyclic covers of the knot complement, as r goes to infinity. Total twisted representations are introduced, and their properties are studied. The twisted Alexander polynomial obtained from any nonabelian parabolic SL(2,C) representation of a 2-bridge knot group is seen to be nontrivial. The zeros of any twisted Alexander polynomial of a torus knot corresponding to a parabolic SL(2,C) representation or a finite-image permutation representation are shown to be roots of unity.
We consider the relations $\ge$ and $\ge_p$ on the collection of all knots, where $k \ge k'$ (respectively, $k \ge_p k'$) if there exists an epimorphism $πk \to πk'$ of knot groups (respectively, preserving peripheral systems). When $k$ is a torus knot, the relations coincide and $k'$ must also be a torus knot; we determine the knots $k'$ that can occur. If $k$ is a 2-bridge knot and $k \ge_p k'$, then $k'$ is a 2-bridge knot with determinant a proper divisor of the determinant of $k$; only finitely many knots $k'$ are possible.
Lehmer's question is equivalent to one about generalized growth rates of Lefschetz numbers of iterated pseudo-Anosov surface homeomorphisms. One need consider only homeomorphisms that arise as monodromies of fibered knots in lens spaces L(n,1), n>0. Lehmer's question for Perron polynomials is equivalent to one about generalized growth rates of words under injective free group endomorphisms.
For any knot, the following are equivalent. (1) The infinite cyclic cover has uncountably many finite covers; (2) there exists a finite-image representation of the knot group for which the twisted Alexander polynomial vanishes; (3) the knot group admits a finite-image representation such that the image of the fundamental group of an incompressible Seifert surface is a proper subgroup of the image of the commutator subgroup of the knot group.
The authors conjectured previously that a knot is nonfibered if and only if its infinite cyclic cover has uncountably many finite covers. We prove the conjecture for a class of knots that includes all knots of genus 1, using techniques from symbolic dynamics.
Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a satellite knot to be fibered. Any knot $\tilde k$ embeds in an unknotted solid torus $\tilde V$ with arbitrary winding number in such a way that no satellite knot with pattern $(\tilde V, \tilde k)$ is fibered. In particular, there exist nonfibered satellite knots with fibered pattern and companion knots and nonzero winding number.
A group-theoretical method, via Wada's representations, is presented to distinguish Kishino's virtual knot from the unknot. Biquandles are constructed for any group using Wada's braid group representations. Cocycle invariants for these biquandles are studied. These invariants are applied to show the non-existence of Alexander numberings and checkerboard colorings.
The derived group of a permutation representation, introduced by R.H. Crowell, unites many notions of knot theory. We survey Crowell's construction, and offer new applications. The twisted Alexander group of a knot is defined. Using it, we obtain twisted Alexander modules and polynomials. Also, we extend a well-known theorem of Neuwirth and Stallings giving necessary and sufficient conditions for a knot to be fibered. Virtual Alexander polynomials provide obstructions for a virtual knot that must vanish if the knot has a diagram with an Alexander numbering. The extended group of a virtual knot is defined, and using it a more sensitive obstruction is obtained.