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Kimihiko Motegi

Publications and source records attributed to Kimihiko Motegi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Every non-trivial knot group is fully residually perfect

Given a class $\mathcal{P}$ of groups we say that a group $G$ is fully residually $\mathcal{P}$ if for any finite subset $F$ of $G$, there exists an epimorphism from $G$ to a group in $\mathcal{P}$ which is injective on $F$. It is known that any non-trivial knot group is fully residually finite. For hyperbolic knots, its knot group is fully residually closed hyperbolic $3$--manifold group, and fully residually simple. In this article, we show that every non-trivial knot group is fully residually perfect, closed $3$--manifold group.

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arXiv2026

Dehn filling and the knot group II: Ubiquity of persistent elements

Let $K$ be a nontrivial knot in $S^3$. We say that an element of the knot group $G(K)$ is \textit{persistent} if it remains nontrivial under all nontrivial Dehn fillings. Such elements exist for every nontrivial knot. Indeed, Property P is equivalent to the statement that the meridian of $K$ is a persistent element, and this represents the first instance of such elements. Building on the solution to the Property P conjecture due to Kronheimer and Mrowka, we show that every nontrivial knot group admits infinitely many persistent elements with pairwise disjoint automorphic orbits, none of which contains a power of the meridian. We then develop this further to show that for a broad class of hyperbolic knots - namely those admitting no surgery whose resulting manifold has torsion in its fundamental group - persistent elements are not rare curiosities, but rather structurally pervasive in $G(K)$. This is reflected in the following two properties: (i) Every subgroup of $G(K)$ that is not contained in the normal closure of a peripheral element contains persistent elements. (ii) Persistent elements exist outside every proper subgroup of $G(K)$.

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arXiv2026

Group theoretic perspective on Dehn fillings: Property P conjecture and beyond

The Property P Conjecture, which was settled by Kronheimer and Mrowka, asserts that every $3$--manifold obtained by non-trivial Dehn surgery on a non-trivial knot is never simply connected. We propose new perspectives in studying Dehn filling from group theoretic point of view, which stem from several variation of the Property P conjecture.

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arXiv2025

Knots not detected by any trace

The first and last named authors have demonstrated the existence of knots for which every integral slope is non-characterizing. In this short note, we extend this result in two ways. There exists a knot that shares for every integer n the same n-trace with infinitely many mutually distinct knots. Moreover, every knot is concordant to a knot that is not detected by any of its traces.

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arXiv2025

Dehn filling and the knot group I: Realization Property

Each $r$-Dehn filling of the exterior $E(K)$ of a knot $K$ in $S^3$ produces a $3$-manifold $K(r)$, and induces an epimorphism from the knot group $G(K) = π_1(E(K))$ to $π_1(K(r))$, which trivializes elements in its kernel. To each element $g \in G(K)$, consider all the non-trivial Dehn fillings and assign $\mathcal{S}_K(g) = \{ r \in \mathbb{Q} \mid \textrm{$r$-Dehn filling trivializes}\ g \}$ $\subset \mathbb{Q}$. Which subsets of $\mathbb{Q}$ can occur as $\mathcal{S}_K(g)$? Property P concerns this question and gives a fundamental result which asserts that the emptyset can be realized by $\mathcal{S}_K(μ)$ for the meridian $μ$ of $K$. Suppose that $K$ is a hyperbolic knot. Then $\mathcal{S}_K(g)$ is known to be finite for all non-trivial elements $g \in G(K)$. We prove that generically, for instance, if $K$ has no exceptional surgery, then any finite (possibly empty) family of slopes $\mathcal{R} = \{ r_1, . . . , r_n \}$ can be realized by $\mathcal{S}_K(g)$ for some element $g \in G(K)$. Furthermore, there are infinitely many, mutually non-conjugate such elements, each of which is not conjugate to any power of $g$. We also provide an example showing that the above realization property does not hold unconditionally.

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arXiv2025

Asymptotic behavior of unknotting numbers of links in a twist family

By twisting a given link $L$ along an unknotted circle $c$, we obtain an infinite family of links $\{ L_n \}$. We introduce the ``stable unknotting number'' which describes the asymptotic behavior of unknotting numbers of links in the twist family. We show the stable unknotting number for any twist family of links depends only on the winding number of $L$ about $c$ (the minimum geometric intersection number of $L$ with a Seifert surface of $c$) and is independent of the wrapping number of $L$ about $c$ (the minimum geometric intersection number of $L$ with a disk bounded by $c$). Thus there are twist families for which the discrepancy between the wrapping number and the stable unknotting number is arbitrarily large.

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arXiv2024

Classification of generalized torsion elements of order two in 3-manifold groups

Let $G$ be a group and $g$ a non-trivial element in $G$. If some non-empty finite product of conjugates of $g$ equals to the identity, then $g$ is called a generalized torsion element. The minimum number of conjugates in such a product is called the order of $g$. We will classify $3$-manifolds $M$, each of whose fundamental group has a generalized torsion element of order two. Furthermore, we will classify such elements in $π_1(M)$. We also prove that $R$-group and $\overline{R}$-group coincide for $3$-manifold groups, and classify $3$-manifold groups which are $R$-groups (and hence $\overline{R}$-groups).

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arXiv2024

The stable crossing number of a twist family of knots and the satellite crossing number conjecture

Twisting a given knot $K$ about an unknotted circle $c$ a full $n \in \mathbb{N}$ times, we obtain a "twist family" of knots $\{ K_n \}$. Work of Kouno-Motegi-Shibuya implies that for a non-trivial twist family the crossing numbers $\{c(K_n)\}$ of the knots in a twist family grows unboundedly. However potentially this growth is rather slow and may never become monotonic. Nevertheless, based upon the apparent diagrams of a twist family of knots, one expects the growth should eventually be linear. Indeed we conjecture that if $η$ is the geometric wrapping number of $K$ about $c$, then the crossing number of $K_n$ grows like $n η(η-1)$ as $n \to \infty$. To formulate this, we introduce the "stable crossing number" of a twist family of knots and establish the conjecture for (i) coherent twist families where the geometric wrapping and algebraic winding of $K$ about $c$ agree and (ii) twist families with wrapping number $2$ subject to an additional condition. Using the lower bound on a knot's crossing number in terms of its genus via Yamada's braiding algorithm, we bound the stable crossing number from below using the growth of the genera of knots in a twist family. (This also prompts a discussion of the "stable braid index".) As an application, we prove that highly twisted satellite knots in a twist family where the companion is twisted as well satisfy the Satellite Crossing Number Conjecture.

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arXiv2022

Generalized torsion, unique root property and Baumslag--Solitar relation for knot groups

Let $G$ be a group. If an equation $x^n = y^n$ in $G$ implies $x = y$ for any elements $x$ and $y$, then $G$ is called an $R$--group. It is completely understood which knot groups are $R$--groups. Fay and Walls introduced $\bar{R}$--group in which the normalizer and the centralizer of an isolator of $\langle x \rangle$ coincide for any non-trivial element $x$. It is known that $\bar{R}$--groups and $R$--groups share many interesting properties and $\bar{R}$--groups are necessarily $R$--groups. However, in general, the converse does not hold. We will prove that these classes are the same for knot groups. In the course of the proof, we will determine knot groups with generalized torsion of order two.

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arXiv2022

The Strong Slope Conjecture and crossing numbers for Mazur doubles of knots

The Slope Conjecture proposed by Garoufalidis asserts that the degree of the colored Jones polynomial determines a boundary slope, and its refinement, the Strong Slope Conjecture proposed by Kalfagianni and Tran asserts that the linear term in the degree determines the topology of an essential surface that satisfies the Slope Conjecture. Under certain hypotheses, we show that Mazur doubles of knots satisfy the Strong Slope Conjecture if the original knot does. Consequently, any knot obtained by a finite sequence of cabling, untwisted w--generalized Whitehead doublings with w > 0, connected sums and Mazur doublings of B--adequate knots or torus knots satisfies the Strong Slope Conjecture. On the other hand, it may be worth mentioning that under these hypotheses, if there exists a knot with a Jones slope less than -1/4, then its Mazur double would either provide a counterexample to the Strong Slope Conjecture or have a Jones surface that is unrelated to any Jones surface of the knot. Following work of Kalfagianni and Lee, we also use our results to show that the Mazur double of an adequate knot K with trivial writhe has crossing number either 9c(K)+2 or 9c(K)+3.

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arXiv2021

Generalized torsion for hyperbolic $3$--manifold groups with arbitrary large rank

Let $G$ be a group and $g$ a non-trivial element in $G$. If some non-empty finite product of conjugates of $g$ equals to the trivial element, then $g$ is called a generalized torsion element. To the best of our knowledge, we have no hyperbolic $3$--manifold groups with generalized torsion elements whose rank is explicitly known to be greater than two. The aim of this short note is to demonstrate that for a given integer $n > 1$ there are infinitely many closed hyperbolic $3$--manifolds $M_n$ which enjoy the property: (i) the Heegaard genus of $M_n$ is $n$, (ii) the rank of the fundamental group of $M_n$ is $n$, and (ii) the fundamental group of $M_n$ has a generalized torsion element. Furthermore, we may choose $M_n$ as homology lens spaces and so that the order of the generalized torsion element is arbitrarily large.

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arXiv2021

Generalized torsion for knots with arbitrarily high genus

In a group, a non-trivial element is called a generalized torsion element if some non-empty finite product of its conjugates equals to the identity. We say that a knot has generalized torsion if its knot group admits such an element. For a (2, 2q+1)-torus knot K, we demonstrate that there are infinitely many unknots c such that p-twisting K about c yields a twist family, which consists of hyperbolic knots with generalized torsion whenever |p| > 3. This gives a new infinite class of hyperbolic knots having generalized torsion. In particular, each class contains knots with arbitrarily high genus. We also show that some twisted torus knots, including the (-2, 3, 7)-pretzel knot, have generalized torsion. Since generalized torsion is an obstruction for having bi-order, these knots have non-bi-orderable knot groups.

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arXiv2020

Generalized torsion and Dehn filling

A generalized torsion element is a non-trivial element such that some non-empty finite product of its conjugates is the identity. We construct a generalized torsion element of the fundamental group of a 3-manifold obtained by Dehn surgery along a knot in the 3-sphere.

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arXiv2019

The Strong Slope Conjecture for twisted generalized Whitehead doubles

The Slope Conjecture proposed by Garoufalidis asserts that the degree of the colored Jones polynomial determines a boundary slope, and its refinement, the Strong Slope Conjecture proposed by Kalfagianni and Tran asserts that the linear term in the degree determines the topology of an essential surface that satisfies the Slope Conjecture. Under certain hypotheses, we show that twisted, generalized Whitehead doubles of a knot satisfies the Slope Conjecture and the Strong Slope Conjecture if the original knot does. Additionally, we provide a proof that there are Whitehead doubles which are not adequate.

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arXiv2019

Nontrivial elements in a knot group which are trivialized by Dehn fillings

Let K be a nontrivial knot in the 3-sphere with the exterior E(K), and u in G(K), the fundamental group of E(K), a slope element represented by an essential simple closed curve on the boundary of E(K). Since the normal closure of u in G(K) coincides with that of the inverse of u, and u and its inverse u correspond to a slope r, a rational number or 1/0, we write << r >> = << u >>. The normal closure << u >> describes elements which are trivialized by r-Dehn filling of E(K). In this article, we prove that << r_1 >> =<< r_2 >> if and only if r_1 = r_2, and for a given finite family of slopes S = {r_1, ..., r_n}, the intersection of << r_1 >> , << r_2>>, ..., and << r_n >> contains infinitely many elements except when K is a (p, q)-torus knot and pq belongs to S. We also investigate inclusion relation among normal closures of slope elements.

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arXiv2018

Generalized torsion and decomposition of 3-manifolds

A nontrivial element in a group is a generalized torsion element if some nonempty finite product of its conjugates is the identity. We prove that any generalized torsion element in a free product of torsion-free groups is conjugate to a generalized torsion element in some factor group. This implies that the fundamental group of a compact orientable $3$-manifold $M$ has a generalized torsion element if and only if the fundamental group of some prime factor of $M$ has a generalized torsion element. On the other hand, we demonstrate that there are infinitely many toroidal $3$-manifolds whose fundamental group has a generalized torsion element, while the fundamental group of each decomposing piece has no such elements.

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arXiv2017

Seifert vs slice genera of knots in twist families and a characterization of braid axes

Twisting a knot $K$ in $S^3$ along a disjoint unknot $c$ produces a twist family of knots $\{K_n\}$ indexed by the integers. Comparing the behaviors of the Seifert genus $g(K_n)$ and the slice genus $g_4(K_n)$ under twistings, we prove that if $g(K_n) - g_4(K_n) < C$ for some constant $C$ for infinitely many integers $n > 0$ or $g(K_n) / g_4(K_n) \to 1$ as $n \to \infty$, then either the winding number of $K$ about $c$ is zero or the winding number equals the wrapping number. As a key application, if $\{K_n\}$ or the mirror twist family $\{\overline{K_n}\}$ contains infinitely many tight fibered knots, then the latter must occur. We further develop this to show that $c$ is a braid axis of $K$ if and only if both $\{K_n\}$ and $\{\overline{K_n}\}$ each contain infinitely many tight fibered knots. We also give a necessary and sufficient condition for $\{ K_n \}$ to contain infinitely many L-space knots, and show (modulo a conjecture) that satellite L-space knots are braided satellites.

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