Logo image
Local structure of ideal shapes of knots
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Local structure of ideal shapes of knots

Oguz C Durumeric
Topology and its applications, Vol.154(17), pp.3070-3089
2007
DOI: 10.1016/j.topol.2007.07.004
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2007.07.004View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Relatively extremal knots are the relative minima of the ropelength functional in the C 1 topology. They are the relative maxima of the thickness (normal injectivity radius) functional on the set of curves of fixed length, and they include the ideal knots. We prove that a C 1 , 1 relatively extremal knot in R n either has constant maximal (generalized) curvature, or its thickness is equal to half of the double critical self distance. This local result also applies to the links. Our main approach is to show that the shortest curves with bounded curvature and C 1 boundary conditions in R n contain CLC (circle–line–circle) curves, if they do not have constant maximal curvature.
Ideal knots Normal injectivity radius Thickness of knots

Details

Metrics

Logo image