Abstract
The aim of this article is to give a characterization of strongly quasipositive quasi-alternating links and detect new classes of strongly quasipositive Montesinos links and non-strongly quasipositive Montesinos links. In this direction, we show that, if L is an oriented quasi-alternating link with a quasi-alternating crossing c such that \(L_0\) is alternating (where \(L_0\) has the induced orientation), then L is definite if and only if it is strongly quasipositive (up to mirroring). We also show that if L is an oriented quasi-alternating link with a quasi-alternating crossing c such that \(L_0\) is fibred or, more generally, has a unique minimal genus Seifert surface (where \(L_0\) has the induced orientation), then L is definite if and only if it is strongly quasipositive (up to mirroring).












Similar content being viewed by others
References
T. Abe, K. Tagami, Characterization of positive links and the s-invariant for links. Can. J. Math. 69, 1201–1218 (2017)
I. Ba, L-spaces, left-orderability and two-bridge knots. J. Knot Theory Ramif. 28, 38 (2019)
S. Baader, Quasipositivity and homogeneity. Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 139, 287–290 (2005)
M. Boileau, S. Boyer, C.M.A. Gordon, Branched covers of quasipositive links and L-spaces. J. Topol. 12, 536–576 (2019)
S. Boyer, C.M.A. Gordon, L. Watson, On L-spaces and left-orderable fundamental groups. Math. Ann. 356, 1213–1245 (2013)
A. Cavallo, C. Collari, Slice-torus concordance invariants and Whitehead doubles of links. Can. J. Math. 10, 10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.4153/S0008414X19000294
A. Champanerkar, I. Kofman, Twisting quasi-alternating links. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 7, 2451–2458 (2009)
R. Crowell, Nonalternating links. Ill. J. Math. 3, 101–120 (1959)
R.P. Cromwell, Homogeneous links. J. Lond. Math. Soc. 39, 535–552 (1989)
C.M.A. Gordon, R.A. Litherland, On the signature of a link. Invent. Math. 47, 53–69 (1978)
E.J. Greene, Alternating links and definite surfaces. Duke Math. J. 166, 2133–2151 (2017)
M. Hirasawa, K. Murasugi, Genera and fibredness of Montesinos knots. Pac. J. Math. 1, 53–83 (2006)
M. Hirasawa, M. Sakuma, Minimal Genus Seifert Surfaces for Alternating Links in KNOTS 96 (Tokyo) (World Scientific Publishing, River Edge, 1997), pp. 383–394
T. Kobayashi, Uniqueness of minimal genus Seifert surfaces for links. Topol. Appl. 33, 265–279 (1989)
S.Y. Lee, C.-Y. Park, M. Seo, On Adequate links and homogeneous links. Bull. Austral. Math. Soc. 64, 395–404 (2001)
W.B. Raymond Lickorish, An Introduction to Knot Theory. Graduate Texts in Mathematics (Springer, New York, 1997)
T. Lidman, S. Sivek, Quasi-alternating links with small determinant. Math. Proc. Camb. 162, 319–336 (2017)
C. Manolescu, P. Oszváth, On the Khovanov and knot Floer homologies of quasi-alternating links, in Proceedings of the Gokova Geometry-Topology Conference 2007, Gokova (2008), pp. 60–81
P. Ozsváth, Z. Szabó, On the Heegaard Floer homolgy of branched double-covers. Adv. Math. 194, 1–33 (2005)
J.H. Przytycki, Positive knots have negative signature. Preprint (2009). arXiv:0905.0922
J.H. Przytycki, From Goeritz matrix to quasi-alternating links, in The Mathematics of Knots. Contributions in Mathematical and Computational Sciences, vol. 1, ed. by M. Banagl, D. Vogel (Springer, Heidelberg, 2011), pp. 257–316
L. Rudolph, Quasipositivity as an obstraction to sliceness. Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 1, 51–59 (1993)
L. Rudolph, Quasipositive plumbing (constructions of quasipositive knots and links, V). Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 1, 257–267 (1998)
L. Rudolph, Positive links are strongly quasipositive, in Proceedings of the Kirbyfest, Geometry & Topology Monographs, vol. 2, (Geometry & Topology Publications, Coventry, 1999), pp. 555–562
L. Rudolph, Quasipositive pretzels. Topol. Appl. 115, 115–123 (2001)
L. Rudolph, Knot Theory and Complex Plane Curves. Handbook of Knot Theory (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2005), pp. 349–427
M. Scharlemann, A. Thompson, Link genus and the Conway moves. Comment. Math. Helv. 64, 527–535 (1989)
M. Teragaito, Quasi-alternating links and Q-polynomials. J. Knot Theory Ramif. 23, 6 (2014)
W. Thurston, A norm for the homology of \(3\)-manifolds. Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 59, 99–130 (1986)
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my PhD supervisor Professor Steven Boyer for drawing my attention to the topic of the current paper and his consistent encouragement and support. I am also grateful to Kenneth Baker for his helpful comments and encouragement. I also thank the referee for many helpful comments that improved the presentation of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ba, I. Strongly quasipositive quasi-alternating links and Montesinos links. Period Math Hung 82, 181–197 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10998-020-00347-w
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10998-020-00347-w