Torus knot

thumb|the (2,−3)-torus knot, also known as the left-handed [[trefoil knot|150x150px]]

thumb|151x151px|(2,8) torus link with two components

In knot theory, a torus knot is a special kind of knot that lies on the surface of an unknotted torus in R³. Similarly, a torus link is a link which lies on the surface of a torus in the same way. Each torus knot is specified by a pair of coprime integers p and q. A torus link arises if p and q are not coprime (in which case the number of components is gcd(p, q)). A torus knot is trivial (equivalent to the unknot) if and only if either p or q is equal to 1 or −1.

The simplest nontrivial example is the (2,3)-torus knot, also known as the trefoil knot.

Geometrical representation

A torus knot can be rendered geometrically in multiple ways which are topologically equivalent (see Properties below) but geometrically distinct. The convention used in this article and its figures is the following.

The (p,q)-torus knot winds q times around a circle in the interior of the torus, and p times around its axis of rotational symmetry.. If p and q are not relatively prime, then we have a torus link with more than one component.

The direction in which the strands of the knot wrap around the torus is also subject to differing conventions. The most common is to have the strands form a right-handed screw for p q > 0.

The (p,q)-torus knot can be given by the parametrization

:<math>\begin{align}

x &= r\cos(p\phi) \\

y &= r\sin(p\phi) \\

z &= -\sin(q\phi)

\end{align}</math>

where <math>r = \cos(q\phi)+2</math> and <math>0<\phi<2\pi</math>. This lies on the surface of the torus given by <math>(r-2)^2 + z^2 = 1</math> (in cylindrical coordinates).

Other parameterizations are also possible, because knots are defined up to continuous deformation. The illustrations for the (2,3)- and (3,8)-torus knots can be obtained by taking <math>r = \cos(q\phi)+4</math>, and in the case of the (2,3)-torus knot by furthermore subtracting respectively <math>3\cos((p-q)\phi)</math> and <math>3\sin((p-q)\phi)</math> from the above parameterizations of x and y. The latter generalizes smoothly to any coprime p,q satisfying <math>p<q<2p</math>.

Properties

thumb|A (3,−7)-[[3D computer graphics|3D torus knot.]]A torus knot is trivial if and only if either p or q is equal to 1 or −1. and chiral. The (p,−q) torus knot is the obverse (mirror image) of the (p,q) torus knot.

:<math>(\sigma_1\sigma_2\cdots\sigma_{p-1})^q.</math>

(This formula assumes the common convention that braid generators are right twists, which is not followed by the Wikipedia page on braids.)

The crossing number of a (p,q) torus knot with p,q > 0 is given by

:c = min((p&minus;1)q, (q&minus;1)p).

The genus of a torus knot with p,q > 0 is

:<math>g = \frac{1}{2}(p-1)(q-1).</math>

The Alexander polynomial of a torus knot is

Connection to complex hypersurfaces

thumb|[[EureleA Award showing a (2,3)-torus knot.]]The (p,q)&minus;torus knots arise when considering the link of an isolated complex hypersurface singularity. One intersects the complex hypersurface with a hypersphere, centred at the isolated singular point, and with sufficiently small radius so that it does not enclose, nor encounter, any other singular points. The intersection gives a submanifold of the hypersphere.

Let p and q be coprime integers, greater than or equal to two. Consider the holomorphic function <math> f: \Complex^2 \to \Complex</math> given by <math>f(w,z) := w^p + z^q.</math> Let <math>V_f \subset \Complex^2</math> be the set of <math>(w,z) \in \Complex^2</math> such that <math>f(w,z) = 0.</math> Given a real number <math>0 < \varepsilon \ll 1, </math> we define the real three-sphere <math>\mathbb{S}^3_{\varepsilon} \subset \R^4 \hookrightarrow \Complex^2</math> as given by <math>|w|^2 + |z|^2 = \varepsilon^2.</math> The function <math>f</math> has an isolated critical point at <math>(0,0) \in \Complex^2</math> since <math>\partial f/\partial w = \partial f/ \partial z = 0</math> if and only if <math>w = z = 0.</math> Thus, we consider the structure of <math>V_f</math> close to <math>(0,0) \in \Complex^2.</math> In order to do this, we consider the intersection <math>V_f \cap \mathbb{S}^3_{\varepsilon} \subset \mathbb{S}^3_{\varepsilon}.</math> This intersection is the so-called link of the singularity <math>f(w,z) = w^p + z^q.</math> The link of <math>f(w,z) = w^p + z^q</math>, where p and q are coprime, and both greater than or equal to two, is exactly the (p,q)&minus;torus knot.

List

• Unknot, 3₁ knot (3,2), 5₁ knot (5,2), 7₁ knot (7,2), 8₁₉ knot (4,3), 9₁ knot (9,2), 10₁₂₄ knot (5,3)

:{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Table<br/> #

! A-B

! Image

! P

! Q

! Cross<br/> #

|-

|0

| 0₁

| 55x55px

| 1

| 0

| 0

|-

| 3a1

| 3₁

| 62x62px

| 2

| 3

| 3

|-

| 5a2

| 5₁

| 61x61px

| 2

| 5

| 5

|-

| 7a7

| 7₁

| 61x61px

| 2

| 7

| 7

|-

| 8n3

| 8₁₉

| 60x60px

| 3

| 4

| 8

|-

| 9a41

| 9₁

| 60x60px

| 2

| 9

| 9

|-

| 10n21

| 10₁₂₄

| 61x61px

| 3

| 5

| 10

|-

| 11a367

| <!--11_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 11

| 11

|-

| 13a4878

| <!--13_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 13

| 13

|-

| 14n21881

| <!--14_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 7

| 14

|-

|15n41185

| <!--15_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 4

| 5

| 15

|-

| 15a85263

| <!--15_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 15

| 15

|-

| 16n783154

| <!--16_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 8

| 16

|-

|

| <!--17_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 17

| 17

|-

|

| <!--19_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 19

| 19

|-

|

| <!--20_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 10

| 20

|-

|

| <!--21_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 4

| 7

| 21

|-

|

| <!--21_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 21

| 21

|-

|

| <!--22_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 11

| 22

|-

|

| <!--23_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 23

| 23

|-

|

| <!--24_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 5

| 6

| 24

|-

|

| <!--25_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 25

| 25

|-

|

| <!--26_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 13

| 26

|-

|

| <!--27_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 4

| 9

| 27

|-

|

| <!--27_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 27

| 27

|-

|

| <!--28_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 5

| 7

| 28

|-

|

| <!--28_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 14

| 28

|-

|

| <!--29_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 29

| 29

|-

|

| <!--31_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 31

| 31

|-

|

| <!--32_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 5

| 8

| 32

|-

|

| <!--32_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 16

| 32

|-

|

| <!--33_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 4

| 11

| 33

|-

|

| <!--33_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 33

| 33

|-

|

| <!--34_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 3

| 17

| 34

|-

|

| <!--35_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 6

| 7

| 35

|-

|

| <!--35_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 2

| 35

| 35

|-

|

| <!--36_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 5

| 9

| 36

|-

|

| <!--48_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 7

| 8

| 48

|-

|

| <!--54_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 7

| 9

| 54

|-

|

| <!--63_Y-->

| 60x60px

| 8

| 9

| 63

|}

g-torus knot

A g-torus knot is a closed curve drawn on a g-torus. More technically, it is the homeomorphic image of a circle in S³ which can be realized as a subset of a genus g handlebody in S³ (whose complement is also a genus g handlebody). If a link is a subset of a genus two handlebody, it is a double torus link.

For genus two, the simplest example of a double torus knot that is not a torus knot is the figure-eight knot.

Notes

See also

• Alternating knot
• Hyperbolic knot
• Irrational winding of a torus
• Satellite knot

References

External links

• Torus knot renderer in Actionscript
• Fun with the PQ-Torus Knot