Knotting and linking in 4 and 5 dimensions from barbell diffeomorphisms

Abstract

In this paper, we construct infinitely many non-isotopic 3-knots in the 5-sphere, each of which has four critical points with respect to the standard height function of the 5-sphere. This contrasts with a theorem of Scharlemann which says that any 2-knot in the 4-sphere with four critical points is unknotted, and also provides infinitely many knotted solid tori in the 4-sphere and 5-ball, which resolves the last remaining case of the conjecture by Budney and Gabai on the existence of knotted handlebodies. We also construct various knotted and linked handlebodies, discs, and spheres in the 4-sphere, 5-ball, and 5-sphere, extending recent works of Hughes, Miller, and the first author, and a recent work of the authors. All of our examples are explicit and are constructed using barbell diffeomorphisms.