# Knots, i.e. embeddings of spheres

## 1 Introduction


## 2 Examples

Analogously to the Haefliger trefoil knot for $k>1$$k>1$ one constructs a smooth embedding $t:S^{2k-1}\to\Rr^{3k}$$t:S^{2k-1}\to\Rr^{3k}$, see [Skopenkov2016h, $\S$$\S$5]. For $k$$k$ even this embedding is a generator of $E_D^{3k}(S^{2k-1})\cong\Zz$$E_D^{3k}(S^{2k-1})\cong\Zz$; it is not smoothly isotopic to the standard embedding, but is piecewise smoothly isotopic to it [Haefliger1962]. It would be interesting to know if for $k$$k$ odd this embedding is a generator of $E_D^{3k}(S^{2k-1})\cong\Zz_2$$E_D^{3k}(S^{2k-1})\cong\Zz_2$. The last phrase of [Haefliger1962t] suggests that this is true for $k=3$$k=3$.

## 3 Classification

Theorem 3.1 [Levine1965, Corollary in p. 44], [Haefliger1966]. For $m-n\ge3$$m-n\ge3$ the group $E^m_D(S^n)$$E^m_D(S^n)$ is finite unless $n=4k-1$$n=4k-1$ and $m\le6k$$m\le6k$, when $E^m_D(S^n)$$E^m_D(S^n)$ is the sum of $\Z$$\Z$ and a finite group.

Theorem 3.2 (Haefliger-Milgram). We have the following table for the group $E^m_D(S^n)$$E^m_D(S^n)$; in the table $k\ge1$$k\ge1$:

$\displaystyle \begin{array}{c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c} (m,n) &2m\ge3n+4 &(6k,4k-1) &(6k+3,4k+1) &(7,4) &(6k+4,4k+2) &(12k+7,8k+4) & (12k+1,8k+1)\\ \hline E^m_D(S^n)&0 &\Z &\Z_2 &\Z_{12} &0 &\Z_4 &\Z_2\oplus\Z_2 \end{array}$

Proof for the first four columns, and for the fifth column, $k$$k$ even, are presented in [Haefliger1966] (or are deduced from that paper using simple calculations, cf. [Skopenkov2005, $\S$$\S$3]). The remaining results were announced in [Milgram1972]; no details of the proofs appeared. Alternative proofs for the case $(m,n)=(7,4)$$(m,n)=(7,4)$ are given in [Skopenkov2005], [Crowley&Skopenkov2008].

Theorem 3.3 [Milgram1972, Corollary G]. We have $E^m_D(S^n)=0$$E^m_D(S^n)=0$ if and only if either $2m\ge3n+4$$2m\ge3n+4$, or $(m,n)=(6k+4,4k+2)$$(m,n)=(6k+4,4k+2)$, or $(m,n)=(3k,2k)$$(m,n)=(3k,2k)$ and $k\equiv3,11\mod12$$k\equiv3,11\mod12$, or $(m,n)=(3k+2,2k+2)$$(m,n)=(3k+2,2k+2)$ and $k\equiv14,22\mod24$$k\equiv14,22\mod24$.

For a description of 2-components of $E^m_D(S^n)$$E^m_D(S^n)$ see [Milgram1972, Theorem F].

For $m\ge n+3$$m\ge n+3$ the group $E^m_D(S^n)$$E^m_D(S^n)$ has been described as follows, in terms of exact sequences [Haefliger1966], cf. [Levine1965], [Haefliger1966a], [Milgram1972], [Habegger1986].

Theorem 3.4 [Haefliger1966]. For $m-n\ge3$$m-n\ge3$ there is the following exact sequence of abelian groups:

$\displaystyle \ldots \to \pi_{n+1}(SG,SO) \xrightarrow{~u~} E^m_D(S^n) \xrightarrow{~a~} \pi_n(SG_n,SO_n) \xrightarrow{~s~} \pi_n(SG,SO) \xrightarrow{~u~} E^{m-1}_D(S^{n-1})\to \ldots~.$

Here $SG_n$$SG_n$ be the space of maps $S^{n-1} \to S^{n-1}$$S^{n-1} \to S^{n-1}$ of degree $1$$1$. Restricting an element of $SO_n$$SO_n$ to $S^{n-1} \subset \Rr^n$$S^{n-1} \subset \Rr^n$ identifies $SO_n$$SO_n$ as a subspace of $SG_n$$SG_n$. Let $SG:=SG_1\cup\ldots\cup SG_n\cup\ldots$$SG:=SG_1\cup\ldots\cup SG_n\cup\ldots$. Analogously define $SO$$SO$. Let $s$$s$ be the stabilization homomorphism. The attaching invariant $a$$a$ and the map $u$$u$ are defined in [Haefliger1966], see also [Skopenkov2005, $\S$$\S$3].

## 4 Codimension 2 knots

For the best known specific case, i.e. for codimension 2 embeddings of spheres (in particular, for the classical theory of knots in $\Rr^3$$\Rr^3$), a complete readily calculable classification (in the sense of Remark 1.2 of [Skopenkov2016c]) is neither known nor expected at the time of writing. However, there is a vast literature on codimension 2 knots. See e.g. the interesting papers [Farber1981], [Farber1983], [Kearton1983], [Farber1984].

On the other hand, if one studies embeddings up to the weaker relation of concordance, then much is known. See e.g. [Levine1969a] and [Ranicki1998].

## 5 References

• [Crowley&Skopenkov2008] D. Crowley and A. Skopenkov, A classification of smooth embeddings of 4-manifolds in 7-space, II, Intern. J. Math., 22:6 (2011) 731-757. Available at the arXiv:0808.1795.
• [Farber1981] M. Sh. Farber, Classification of stable fibered knots, Mat. Sb. (N.S.), 115(157):2(6) (1981) 223–262.
• [Farber1983] M. Sh. Farber, The classification of simple knots, Russian Math. Surveys, 38:5 (1983).