arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Michel Boileau.
A basic open question motivated by the study of ribbon knot diagrams asks whether every ribbon knot can be presented as a symmetric union. In this article, we give a negative answer to this question by exhibiting a ribbon Montesinos knot which does not admit a symmetric union presentation.
For a link $L$ in the $3$-sphere, the $π$-orbifold group $G^\mathrm{orb}(L)$ is defined as a quotient of the link group $G(L)$ of $L$. When there exists an epimorphism $G^\mathrm{orb}(L)\to G^\mathrm{orb}(L')$ fitting into a certain commutative diagram, we define a relation $L\succeq L'$ and explore the relationships between the two links. Specifically, we prove that if $L\succeq L'$ and $L$ is a Montesinos link with $r$ rational tangles $(r\geq 3)$, then $L'$ is either a Montesinos link with at most $r+1$ rational tangles or a certain connected sum. We further show that if $L$ is a small link, then there are only finitely many links $L'$ satisfying $L\succeq L'$. In contrast, if $L$ has determinant zero, then $L\succeq L'$ for every $2$-bridge link $L'$. Our main applications concern symmetric unions of knots. In particular, we provide a criterion showing that a given knot does not admit a symmetric union presentation.
In the study of ribbon knots, Lamm introduced symmetric unions inspired by earlier work of Kinoshita and Terasaka. We show an identity between the twisted Alexander polynomials of a symmetric union and its partial knot. As a corollary, we obtain an inequality concerning their genera. It is known that there exists an epimorphism between their knot groups, and thus our inequality provides a positive answer to an old problem of Jonathan Simon in this case. Our formula also offers a useful condition to constrain possible symmetric union presentations of a given ribbon knot. It is an open question whether every ribbon knot is a symmetric union.
We investigate the problem of characterising the family of strongly quasipositive links which have definite symmetrised Seifert forms and apply our results to the problem of determining when such a link can have an L-space cyclic branched cover. In particular, we show that if $δ_n = σ_1 σ_2 \ldots σ_{n-1}$ is the dual Garside element and $b = δ_n^k P \in B_n$ is a strongly quasipositive braid whose braid closure $\widehat b$ is definite, then $k \geq 2$ implies that $\widehat b$ is one of the torus links $T(2, q), T(3,4), T(3,5)$ or pretzel links $P(-2, 2, m), P(-2,3,4)$. Applying Theorem 1.1 of our previous paper we deduce that if one of the standard cyclic branched covers of $\widehat b$ is an L-space, then $\widehat b$ is one of these links. We show by example that there are strongly quasipositive braids $δ_n P$ whose closures are definite but not one of these torus or pretzel links. We also determine the family of definite strongly quasipositive $3$-braids and show that their closures coincide with the family of strongly quasipositive $3$-braids with an L-space branched cover.
We prove the Tits alternative for an almost coherent $PD(3)$ group which is not virtually properly locally cyclic. In particular, we show that an almost coherent $PD(3)$ group which cannot be generated by fewer than four elements always contains a rank 2 free group.
Let $L$ be a oriented link such that $Σ_n(L)$, the $n$-fold cyclic cover of $S^3$ branched over $L$, is an L-space for some $n \geq 2$. We show that if either $L$ is a strongly quasipositive link other than one with Alexander polynomial a multiple of $(t-1)^{2g(L) + (|L|-1)}$, or $L$ is a quasipositive link other than one with Alexander polynomial divisible by $(t-1)^{2g_4(L) + (|L|-1)}$, then there is an integer $n(L)$, determined by the Alexander polynomial of $L$ in the first case and the Alexander polynomial of $L$ and the smooth $4$-genus of $L$, $g_4(L)$, in the second, such that $n \leq n(L)$. If $K$ is a strongly quasipositive knot with monic Alexander polynomial such as an L-space knot, we show that $Σ_n(K)$ is not an L-space for $n \geq 6$, and that the Alexander polynomial of $K$ is a non-trivial product of cyclotomic polynomials if $Σ_n(K)$ is an L-space for some $n = 2, 3, 4, 5$. Our results allow us to calculate the smooth and topological 4-ball genera of, for instance, quasi-alternating quasipositive links. They also allow us to classify strongly quasipositive alternating links and $3$-strand pretzel links.
We show that a hyperbolic $3$-manifold can be the cyclic branched cover of at most fifteen knots in $\mathbf{S}^3$. This is a consequence of a general result about finite groups of orientation preserving diffeomorphisms acting on $3$-manifolds. A similar, although weaker, result holds for arbitrary irreducible $3$-manifolds: an irreducible $3$-manifold can be the cyclic branched cover of odd prime order of at most six knots in $\mathbf{S}^3$.
We show that fundamental groups of compact, orientable, irreducible 3-manifolds with toroidal boundary are Grothendieck rigid.
Let $f\colon M\to N$ be a proper map between two aspherical compact orientable 3-manifolds with empty or toroidal boundary. We assume that $N$ is not a closed graph-manifold. Suppose that $f$ induces an epimorphism on fundamental groups. We show that $f$ is homotopic to a homeomorphism if one of the following holds: either for any finite-index subgroup $Γ$ of $π_1(N)$ the ranks of $Γ$ and of $f_*^{-1}(Γ)$ agree, or for any finite cover $\tilde{N}$ of $N$ the Heegaard genus of $\tilde{N}$ and the Heegaard genus of the pull-back cover $\tilde{M}$ agree.
We show that the Thurston seminorms of all finite covers of an aspherical 3-manifold determine whether it is a graph manifold, a mixed 3-manifold or hyperbolic.
We prove for a large class of knots that the meridional rank coincides with the bridge number. This class contains all knots whose exterior is a graph manifold. This gives a partial answer to a question of S. Cappell and J. Shaneson, see problem 1.11 on Kirby's list.
We say that a knot $k_1$ in the $3$-sphere {\it $1$-dominates} another $k_2$ if there is a proper degree 1 map $E(k_1) \to E(k_2)$ between their exteriors, and write $k_1 \ge k_2$. When $k_1 \ge k_2$ but $k_1 \ne k_2$ we write $k_1 > k_2$. One expects in the latter eventuality that $k_1$ is more {\it complicated}. In this paper we produce various sorts of evidence to support this philosophy.
We prove that links with meridional rank 3 whose 2-fold branched covers are graph manifolds are 3-bridge links. This gives a partial answer to a question by S. Cappell and J. Shaneson on the relation between the bridge numbers and meridional ranks of links. To prove this, we also show that the meridional rank of any satellite knot is at least 4.
We show that a regular isomorphism of profinite completion of the fundamental groups of two 3-manifolds $N_1$ and $N_2$ induces an isometry of the Thurston norms and a bijection between the fibered classes. We study to what extent does the profinite completion of knot groups distinguish knots and show that it distinguishes each torus knot and the figure eight knot among all knots. We show also that it distinguishes between hyperbolic knots with cyclically commensurable complements under the assumption that their Alexander polynomials have at least one zero which is not a root of unity.
In this article we examine the conjecture of Neumann and Reid that the only hyperbolic knots in the $3$-sphere which admit hidden symmetries are the figure-eight knot and the two dodecahedral knots. Knots whose complements cover hyperbolic reflection orbifolds admit hidden symmetries, and we verify the Neumann-Reid conjecture for knots which cover small hyperbolic reflection orbifolds. We also show that a reflection orbifold covered by the complement of an AP knot is necessarily small. Thus when $K$ is an AP knot, the complement of $K$ covers a reflection orbifold exactly when $K$ is either the figure-eight knot or one of the dodecahedral knots.
We show that a graph manifold which is a Z-homology 3-sphere not homeomorphic to either the 3-sphere or the Poincaré homology 3-sphere admits a horizontal foliation. This combines with known results to show that the conditions of not being an L-space, of having a left-orderable fundamental group, and of admitting a co-oriented taut foliation, are equivalent for graph manifold Z-homology 3-spheres.
We prove a finiteness result for the $\partial$-patterned guts decomposition of all 3-manifolds obtained by splitting a given orientable, irreducible and $\partial$-irreducible 3-manifold along a closed incompressible surface. Then using the Thurston norm, we deduce that the JSJ-pieces of all 3-manifolds dominated by a given compact 3-manifold belong, up to homeomorphism, to a finite collection of compact 3-manifolds. We show also that any closed orientable 3-manifold dominates only finitely many integral homology spheres and any compact 3-manifolds orientable 3-manifold dominates only finitely many exterior of knots in $S^3$.
We investigate commensurability classes of hyperbolic knot complements in the generic case of knots without hidden symmetries. We show that such knot complements which are commensurable are cyclically commensurable, and that there are at most $3$ hyperbolic knot complements in a cyclic commensurability class. Moreover if two hyperbolic knots have cyclically commensurable complements, then they are fibered with the same genus and are chiral. A characterisation of cyclic commensurability classes of complements of periodic knots is also given. In the non-periodic case, we reduce the characterisation of cyclic commensurability classes to a generalization of the Berge conjecture.