Narrow Results

Personal recollections of meetings with Vaughan Jones.

In this paper we prove a Markov theorem for virtual braids and for analogs of this structure including flat virtual braids and welded braids. The virtual braid group is the natural companion to the category of virtual knots, just as the Artin braid group is the natural companion to classical knots and links. In this paper we follow L-move methods to prove the Virtual Markov theorems. One benefit of this approach is a fully local algebraic formulation of the theorems in each category.

Given a knot theory (virtual, singular, knots in a 3-manifold etc.), there are deep relations between the diagrammatic knot equivalence in this theory, the braid structures and a corresponding braid equivalence. The L-moves between braids, due to their fundamental nature, may be adapted to any diagrammatic situation in order to formulate a corresponding braid equivalence. In this short paper, we discuss and compare various diagrammatic set-ups and results therein, in order to draw the underlying logic relating diagrammatic isotopy, braid structures, Markov theorems and L-move analogues. Finally, we apply our conclusions to singular braids.

Tied links in $S^3$ were introduced by Aicardi and Juyumaya as standard links in $S^3$ equipped with some non-embedded arcs, called ties, joining some components of the link. Tied links in the Solid Torus were then naturally generalized by Flores. In this paper, we study this new class of links in other topological settings. More precisely, we study tied links in the lens spaces $L(p,1)$, in handlebodies of genus $g$, and in the complement of the $g$-component unlink. We introduce the tied braid monoids $T{M}_{g,n}$ by combining the algebraic mixed braid groups defined by Lambropoulou and the tied braid monoid, and we formulate and prove analogues of the Alexander and the Markov theorems for tied links in the 3-manifolds mentioned above. We also present an $L$-move braid equivalence for tied braids and we discuss further research related to tied links in knot complements and c.c.o. 3-manifolds. The theory of tied links has potential use in some aspects of molecular biology.

In this paper we sketch our proof of a Markov Theorem for the virtual braid group using L-move techniques.