The Compressibility of Checkerboard Surfaces of Link Diagrams

Abstract

Consider the checkerboard surfaces defined by some link diagrams. When they are not orientable, one considers the boundary surfaces of small regular neighborhoods of them. This article studies the compressibility problem of these kinds of surfaces in the link complements. The problem is solved by devising a normalization theory for the compressing discs, which brings up an algorithm to read out compressibility directly from the link diagrams. As an application of the algorithm, the compressibility changes under Reidermeister moves are studied. Diagrams from the knot tables are also studied, and surprisingly, some of them are shown to define completely compressible surfaces of this kind. Infinitely many examples of non-alternating knot diagrams with incompressible surfaces of this kind are also constructed.