Narrow Results

If a rectangular diagram represents the trivial knot, then it can be deformed into the rectangular diagram with only two vertical edges by a finite sequence of merge operations and exchange operations, without increasing the number of vertical edges, which was shown by I. A. Dynnikov. We show in this paper that we need no merge operations to deform a rectangular diagram of the trivial knot to one with no crossings.

If a rectangular diagram represents the trivial knot, then it can be deformed into the trivial rectangular diagram with only four edges by a finite sequence of merge operations and exchange operations, without increasing the number of edges, which was shown by Dynnikov in [Arc-presentations of links: Monotone simplification, Fund. Math. 190 (2006) 29–76; Recognition algorithms in knot theory, Uspekhi Mat. Nauk 58 (2003) 45–92. Translation in Russian Math. Surveys 58 (2003) 1093–1139]. Using this, Henrich and Kauffman gave in [Unknotting unknots, preprint (2011), arXiv:1006.4176v4 [math.GT]] an upper bound for the number of Reidemeister moves needed for unknotting a knot diagram of the trivial knot. However, exchange or merge moves on the top and bottom pairs of edges of rectangular diagrams are not considered in [Unknotting unknots, preprint (2011), arXiv:1006.4176v4 [math.GT]]. In this paper, we show that there is a rectangular diagram of the trivial knot which needs such an exchange move for being unknotted, and study upper bound of the number of Reidemeister moves needed for realizing such an exchange or merge move.