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Topological and physical knot theory are distinct
Published Web Location
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1203.4019.pdfNo data is associated with this publication.
Abstract
Physical knots and links are one-dimensional submanifolds of R^3 with fixed length and thickness. We show that isotopy classes in this category can differ from those of classical knot and link theory. In particular we exhibit a Gordian Split Link, a two component link that is split in the classical theory but cannot be split with a physical isotopy.