We derive an upper bound on the density of Jones polynomials of knots modulo a prime number $p$, within a sufficiently large degree range: $4/p^7$. As an application, we classify knot Jones polynomials modulo two of span up to eight.

We address primary decomposition conjectures for knot concordance groups, which predict direct sum decompositions into primary parts. We show that the smooth concordance group of topologically slice knots has a large subgroup for which the conjectures are true and there are infinitely many primary parts, each of which has infinite rank. This supports the conjectures for topologically slice knots. We also prove analogues for the associated graded groups of the bipolar filtration of topologically slice knots. Among ingredients of the proof, we use amenable $L^2$ -signatures, Ozsváth-Szabó d-invariants and Némethi’s result on Heegaard Floer homology of Seifert 3-manifolds. In an appendix, we present a general formulation of the notion of primary decomposition.

We say a group G satisfies properties (M) and (NM) if every nontrivial finite subgroup of G is contained in a unique maximal finite subgroup, and every nontrivial finite maximal subgroup is self-normalizing. We prove that the Bredon cohomological dimension and the virtual cohomological dimension coincide for groups that admit a cocompact model for EG and satisfy properties (M) and (NM). Among the examples of groups satisfying these hypothesis are cocompact and arithmetic Fuchsian groups, one-relator groups, the Hilbert modular group, and 3-manifold groups.

We show that the only way of changing the framing of a link by ambient isotopy in an oriented $3$ -manifold is when the manifold has a properly embedded non-separating $S^{2}$ . This change of framing is given by the Dirac trick, also known as the light bulb trick. The main tool we use is based on McCullough’s work on the mapping class groups of $3$ -manifolds. We also relate our results to the theory of skein modules.

We consider the question of when a rational homology $3$-sphere is rational homology cobordant to a connected sum of lens spaces. We prove that every rational homology cobordism class in the subgroup generated by lens spaces is represented by a unique connected sum of lens spaces whose first homology group injects in the first homology group of any other element in the same class. As a first consequence, we show that several natural maps to the rational homology cobordism group have infinite-rank cokernels. Further consequences include a divisibility condition between the determinants of a connected sum of $2$-bridge knots and any other knot in the same concordance class. Lastly, we use knot Floer homology combined with our main result to obstruct Dehn surgeries on knots from being rationally cobordant to lens spaces.

A slope r is called a left orderable slope of a knot $K \subset S^3$ if the 3-manifold obtained by r-surgery along K has left orderable fundamental group. Consider double twist knots $C(2m, \pm 2n)$ and $C(2m+1, -2n)$ in the Conway notation, where $m \ge 1$ and $n \ge 2$ are integers. By using continuous families of hyperbolic ${\mathrm {SL}}_2(\mathbb {R})$ -representations of knot groups, it was shown in [8, 16] that any slope in $(-4n, 4m)$ (resp. $ [0, \max \{4m, 4n\})$ ) is a left orderable slope of $C(2m, 2n)$ (resp. $C(2m, - 2n)$ ) and in [6] that any slope in $(-4n,0]$ is a left orderable slope of $C(2m+1,-2n)$ . However, the proofs of these results are incomplete, since the continuity of the families of representations was not proved. In this paper, we complete these proofs, and, moreover, we show that any slope in $(-4n, 4m)$ is a left orderable slope of $C(2m+1,-2n)$ detected by hyperbolic ${\mathrm {SL}}_2(\mathbb {R})$ -representations of the knot group.

We construct quantum invariants of balanced sutured 3-manifolds with a ${\text {Spin}^c}$ structure out of an involutive (possibly nonunimodular) Hopf superalgebra H. If H is the Borel subalgebra of ${U_q(\mathfrak {gl}(1|1))}$ , we show that our invariant is computed via Fox calculus, and it is a normalization of Reidemeister torsion. The invariant is defined via a modification of a construction of Kuperberg, where we use the ${\text {Spin}^c}$ structure to take care of the nonunimodularity of H or $H^{*}$ .

We prove a “splicing formula” for the LMO invariant, which is the universal finite-type invariant of rational homology three-spheres. Specifically, if a rational homology three-sphere M is obtained by gluing the exteriors of two framed knots $K_1 \subset M_1$ and $K_2\subset M_2$ in rational homology three-spheres, our formula expresses the LMO invariant of M in terms of the Kontsevich–LMO invariants of $(M_1,K_1)$ and $(M_2,K_2)$ . The proof uses the techniques that Bar-Natan and Lawrence developed to obtain a rational surgery formula for the LMO invariant. In low degrees, we recover Fujita’s formula for the Casson–Walker invariant, and we observe that the second term of the Ohtsuki series is not additive under “standard” splicing. The splicing formula also works when each $M_i$ comes with a link $L_i$ in addition to the knot $K_i$ , hence we get a “satellite formula” for the Kontsevich–LMO invariant.

We use the divide-and-conquer and scanning algorithms for calculating Khovanov cohomology directly on the Lee- or Bar-Natan deformations of the Khovanov complex to give an alternative way to compute Rasmussen s-invariants of knots. By disregarding generators away from homological degree 0, we can considerably improve the efficiency of the algorithm. With a slight modification, we can also apply it to a refinement of Lipshitz–Sarkar.

We define a limiting ${\mathfrak {sl}_N}$ Khovanov–Rozansky homology for semi-infinite positive multicolored braids. For a large class of such braids, we show that this limiting homology categorifies a highest-weight projector in the tensor product of fundamental representations determined by the coloring of the braid. This effectively completes the extension of Cautis’ similar result for infinite twist braids, begun in our earlier papers with Islambouli and Abel. We also present several similar results for other families of semi-infinite and bi-infinite multicolored braids.

The closure of a braid in a closed orientable surface Ʃ is a link in Ʃ × S1. We classify such closed surface braids up to isotopy and homeomorphism (with a small indeterminacy for isotopy of closed sphere braids), algebraically in terms of the surface braid group. We find that in positive genus, braids close to isotopic links if and only if they are conjugate, and close to homeomorphic links if and only if they are in the same orbit of the outer action of the mapping class group on the surface braid group modulo its centre.

We give a generators-and-relations description of differential graded algebras recently introduced by Ozsváth and Szabó for the computation of knot Floer homology. We also compute the homology of these algebras and determine when they are formal.

We introduce a notion of $q$-deformed rational numbers and $q$-deformed continued fractions. A $q$-deformed rational is encoded by a triangulation of a polygon and can be computed recursively. The recursive formula is analogous to the $q$-deformed Pascal identity for the Gaussian binomial coefficients, but the Pascal triangle is replaced by the Farey graph. The coefficients of the polynomials defining the $q$-rational count quiver subrepresentations of the maximal indecomposable representation of the graph dual to the triangulation. Several other properties, such as total positivity properties, $q$-deformation of the Farey graph, matrix presentations and $q$-continuants are given, as well as a relation to the Jones polynomial of rational knots.

For p ≥ 1, one can define a generalisation of the unknotting number tup called the pth untwisting number, which counts the number of null-homologous twists on at most 2p strands required to convert the knot to the unknot. We show that for any p ≥ 2 the difference between the consecutive untwisting numbers tup–1 and tup can be arbitrarily large. We also show that torus knots exhibit arbitrarily large gaps between tu1 and tu2.

In this paper, we study the chord index of virtual knots, which can be thought of as an extension of the chord parity. We show how to use the chord index to enhance the quandle coloring invariants. The notion of indexed quandle is introduced, which generalizes the quandle idea. Some applications of this new invariant is discussed. We also study how to define a generalized chord index via a fixed finite biquandle. Finally, the chord index and its applications in twisted knot theory are discussed.

If $Y$ is a closed orientable graph manifold, we show that $Y$ admits a coorientable taut foliation if and only if $Y$ is not an L-space. Combined with previous work of Boyer and Clay, this implies that $Y$ is an L-space if and only if $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{1}(Y)$ is not left-orderable.

We compute the $\text{Pin}(2)$-equivariant Seiberg–Witten Floer homology of Seifert rational homology three-spheres in terms of their Heegaard Floer homology. As a result of this computation, we prove Manolescu’s conjecture that $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=-\bar{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}$ for Seifert integral homology three-spheres. We show that the Manolescu invariants $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC},\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD},$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}$ give new obstructions to homology cobordisms between Seifert fiber spaces, and that many Seifert homology spheres $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F4}(a_{1},\ldots ,a_{n})$ are not homology cobordant to any $-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F4}(b_{1},\ldots ,b_{n})$. We then use the same invariants to give an example of an integral homology sphere not homology cobordant to any Seifert fiber space. We also show that the $\text{Pin}(2)$-equivariant Seiberg–Witten Floer spectrum provides homology cobordism obstructions distinct from $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC},\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD},$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}$. In particular, we identify an $\mathbb{F}[U]$-module called connected Seiberg–Witten Floer homology, whose isomorphism class is a homology cobordism invariant.

We show that if a link $L$ has a closed $n$-braid representative admitting a nondegenerate exchange move, an exchange move that does not obviously preserve the conjugacy class, $L$ has infinitely many nonconjugate closed $n$-braid representatives.

Let $\mathcal{M}$ denote the mapping class group of Σ, a compact connected oriented surface with one boundary component. The action of $\mathcal{M}$ on the nilpotent quotients of π1(Σ) allows to define the so-called Johnson filtration and the Johnson homomorphisms. J. Levine introduced a new filtration of $\mathcal{M}$, called the Lagrangian filtration. He also introduced a version of the Johnson homomorphisms for this new filtration. The first term of the Lagrangian filtration is the Lagrangian mapping class group, whose definition involves a handlebody bounded by Σ, and which contains the Torelli group. These constructions extend in a natural way to the monoid of homology cobordisms. Besides, D. Cheptea, K. Habiro and G. Massuyeau constructed a functorial extension of the LMO invariant, called the LMO functor, which takes values in a category of diagrams. In this paper we give a topological interpretation of the upper part of the tree reduction of the LMO functor in terms of the homomorphisms defined by J. Levine for the Lagrangian mapping class group. We also compare the Johnson filtration with the filtration introduced by J. Levine.

We show that the isomorphism problems for left distributive algebras, racks, quandles and kei are as complex as possible in the sense of Borel reducibility. These algebraic structures are important for their connections with the theory of knots, links and braids. In particular, Joyce showed that a quandle can be associated with any knot, and this serves as a complete invariant for tame knots. However, such a classification of tame knots heuristically seemed to be unsatisfactory, due to the apparent difficulty of the quandle isomorphism problem. Our result confirms this view, showing that, from a set-theoretic perspective, classifying tame knots by quandles replaces one problem with (a special case of) a much harder problem.