On 𝑛-trivialities of classical and virtual knots for some unknotting operations

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a new nontrivial filtration, called F-order, for classical and virtual knot invariants; this filtration produces filtered knot invariants, which are called finite type invariants similar to Vassiliev knot invariants. Finite type invariants introduced by Goussarov, Polyak, and Viro are well-known, and we call them finite type invariants of GPV-order. We show that for any positive integer 𝑛 and for any classical knot 𝐾, there exist infinitely many of nontrivial classical knots, all of whose finite type invariants of GPV-order ≤ 𝑛 − 1, coincide with those of 𝐾 (Theorem 1). Further, we show that for any positive integer 𝑛, there exists a nontrivial virtual knot whose finite type invariants of our F-order ≤ 𝑛 − 1 coincide with those of the trivial knot (Theorem 2). In order to prove Theorem 1 (Theorem 2, resp.), we define an 𝑛-triviality via a certain unknotting operation, called virtualization (forbidden moves, resp.), and for any positive integer 𝑛, find an 𝑛-trivial classical knot (virtual knot, resp.).