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Minimal surface representations of virtual knots and links

H. A. Dye·Louis H. Kauffman
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Abstract

Kuperberg [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 3 (2003) 587-591] has shown that a virtual knot corresponds (up to generalized Reidemeister moves) to a unique embedding in a thichened surface of minimal genus. If a virtual knot diagram is equivalent to a classical knot diagram then this minimal surface is a sphere. Using this result and a generalised bracket polynomial, we develop methods that may determine whether a virtual knot diagram is non-classical (and hence non-trivial). As examples we show that, except for special cases, link diagrams with a single virtualization and link diagrams with a single virtual crossing are non-classical.

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H. A. Dye, Louis H. Kauffman. 2005-07-10. Minimal surface representations of virtual knots and links. https://doi.org/10.2140/agt.2005.5.509

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