In 2001, Michael Berry4 published the paper ”Knotted Zeros in the Quantum States of Hydrogen” in Foundations of Physics. In this paper we show how to place Berry’s discovery in the context of general knot theory and in the context of our formulations for quantum knots. Berry gave a time independent wave function for hydrogen, as a map from three space R3 to the complex plane and such that the inverse image of 0 in the complex plane contains a knotted curve in R3. We show that for knots in R3 this is a generic situation in that every smooth knot K in R3 has a smooth classifying map f : R3 −→ C (the complex plane) such that f−1(0) = K. This leaves open the question of characterizing just when such f are wave-functions for quantum systems. One can compare this result with the work of Mark Dennis and his collaborators and with the work of Lee Rudolph. Our approach provides great generality to the structure of knotted zeros of a wavefunction and opens up many new avenues for research in the relationships of quantum theory and knot theory. We show how this classifying construction can be related our previous work on two dimensional and three dimensional mosaic and lattice quantum knots.
In 2001, Michael Berry4 published the paper ”Knotted Zeros in the Quantum States of Hydrogen” in Foundations of Physics. In this paper we show how to place Berry’s discovery in the context of general knot theory and in the context of our formulations for quantum knots. Berry gave a time independent wave function for hydrogen, as a map from three space R3 to the complex plane and such that the inverse image of 0 in the complex plane contains a knotted curve in R3. We show that for knots in R3 this is a generic situation in that every smooth knot K in R3 has a smooth classifying map f : R3 −→ C (the complex plane) such that f−1(0) = K. This leaves open the question of characterizing just when such f are wave-functions for quantum systems. One can compare this result with the work of Mark Dennis and his collaborators and with the work of Lee Rudolph. Our approach provides great generality to the structure of knotted zeros of a wavefunction and opens up many new avenues for research in the relationships of quantum theory and knot theory. We show how this classifying construction can be related our previous work on two dimensional and three dimensional mosaic and lattice quantum knots.
The discovery of the Jones polynomial made an important connection between quantum physics and knot theory. Kauffman and Lomonaco introduced the knot mosaic system to define the quantum knot system for the purpose of representing an actual physical quantum system. This paper is inspired by an open question about the knot mosaic enumeration suggested by them. A knot [Formula: see text]-mosaic is an [Formula: see text] array of 11 mosaic tiles representing a knot diagram by adjoining properly. The total number [Formula: see text] of knot [Formula: see text]-mosaics, which indicates the dimension of the Hilbert space of the quantum knot system, is known to grow in a quadratic exponential rate. Recently, Oh et al. developed the state matrix recursion method producing the exact enumeration of knot mosaics, which uses a recursion formula of state matrices. Furthermore, they showed the existence of the knot mosaic constant [Formula: see text] and found its upper and lower bounds in a series of papers. The latest upper bound was obtained through two new concepts: quasimosaics and cling mosaics. As a sequel to this research program, we adjust the state matrix recursion method to handle cling mosaics inside a quasimosaic, which is called the progressive state matrix recursion method. This method provides recursive matrix-relations producing a sharper bound of the knot mosaic constant: [Formula: see text]
. This paper is an introduction to relationships between quantum topology and quantum computing. We show how knots are related not just to braiding and quantum operators, but to quantum set theoretical foundations, algebras of fermions, and we show how the operation of negation in logic, seen as both a value and an operator, can generate the fusion algebra for a Majorana fermion. We call negation in this mode the mark, as it operates on itself to change from marked to unmarked states. The mark viewed recursively as a simplest discrete dynamical system naturally generates the fermion algebra, the quaternions and the braid group representations related to Majorana fermions. The paper begins with these fundamentals. It then discusses unitary solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation that are universal quantum gates, quantum entanglement and topological entanglement, and gives an exposition of knot-theoretic recoupling theory, its relationship with topological quantum field theory and applies these methods to produce unitary representations of the braid groups that are dense in the unitary groups. These methods are rooted in the bracket state sum model for the Jones polynomial. A self-contained study of the quantum universal Fibonacci model is given. Results are applied to give quantum algorithms for the computation of the colored Jones polynomials for knots and links, and theWitten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant of three manifolds. Two constructions are given for the Fibonacci model, one based in Temperley-Lieb recoupling theory, the other quite elementary and also based on the Temperley-Lieb algebra. This paper begins an exploration of quantum epistemology in relation to the structure of discrimination as the underpinning of basic logic, perception and measurement. Introduction. This paper is an introduction to relationships between quantum topology and quantum computing. We take a foundational approach, showing how knots are related not just to braiding and quantum operators, but to quantum set theoretical foundations and algebras of fermions. We show how the operation of negation in logic, seen as both a value and an operator, can generate the fusion algebra for a Majorana fermion, a particle that is its own anti-particle and interacts with itself either to annihilate itself or to produce itself. We call negation in this mode the mark , as it operates on itself to change from marked to unmarked states.
Topological quantum computing is an emerging field that leverages the mathematical structures of knots and braids to encode and manipulate quantum information. However, the topological nature of quantum tunneling remains largely unexplored. In this work, we introduce a novel paradigm for quantum tunneling based on the knot representation of quantum wavefunctions, where Reidemeister moves—interpreted as braid group operators—govern the wavefunction’s evolution. Specifically, we propose four distinct models for topological quantum tunneling: (1) tunneling via Reidemeister transitions, (2) tunneling on a ring-domain, (3) tunneling under space-time curvature, and (4) tunneling influenced by gravitational potential. By establishing a rigorous connection between knot theory, braid group structures, and quantum tunneling, our approach provides a new framework for understanding quantum transport in complex environments. The broader impact of this work lies in bridging topological quantum mechanics with quantum biology and life sciences, opening new avenues for interdisciplinary research in quantum information processing and biophysical modeling.
Lomonaco and Kauffman developed a knot mosaic system to introduce a precise and workable definition of a quantum knot system. This definition is intended to represent an actual physical quantum system. A knot (m,n)-mosaic is an m×n matrix of mosaic tiles (T0 through T10 depicted in the introduction) representing a knot or a link by adjoining properly that is called suitably connected. D(m,n) is the total number of all knot (m,n)-mosaics. This value indicates the dimension of the Hilbert space of these quantum knot system. D(m,n) is already found for m,n≤6 by the authors. In this paper, we construct an algorithm producing the precise value of D(m,n) for m,n≥2 that uses recurrence relations of state matrices that turn out to be remarkably efficient to count knot mosaics. D(m,n)=2∥(Xm−2+Om−2)n−2∥ where 2m−2×2m−2 matrices Xm−2 and Om−2 are defined by $$ X_{k+1} = \begin{bmatrix} X_k & O_k \\ O_k & X_k \end{bmatrix} \ \mbox{and } \ O_{k+1} = \begin{bmatrix} O_k & X_k \\ X_k & 4 \, O_k \end{bmatrix} $$ for k=0,1,⋯,m−3, with 1×1 matrices X0=[1] and O0=[1]. Here ∥N∥ denotes the sum of all entries of a matrix N. For n=2, (Xm−2+Om−2)0 means the identity matrix of size 2m−2×2m−2.
In this paper, we give a precise and workable definition of a quantum knot system, the states of which are called quantum knots. This definition can be viewed as a blueprint for the construction of an actual physical quantum system. Moreover, this definition of a quantum knot system is intended to represent the "quantum embodiment" of a closed knotted physical piece of rope. A quantum knot, as a state of this system, represents the state of such a knotted closed piece of rope, i.e., the particular spatial configuration of the knot tied in the rope. Associated with a quantum knot system is a group of unitary transformations, called the ambient group, which represents all possible ways of moving the rope around (without cutting the rope, and without letting the rope pass through itself.) Of course, unlike a classical closed piece of rope, a quantum knot can exhibit non-classical behavior, such as quantum superposition and quantum entanglement. This raises some interesting and puzzling questions about the relation between topological and quantum entanglement. The knot type of a quantum knot is simply the orbit of the quantum knot under the action of the ambient group. We investigate quantum observables which are invariants of quantum knot type. We also study the Hamiltonians associated with the generators of the ambient group, and briefly look at the quantum tunneling of overcrossings into undercrossings. A basic building block in this paper is a mosaic system which is a formal (rewriting) system of symbol strings. We conjecture that this formal system fully captures in an axiomatic way all of the properties of tame knot theory.
In quantum mechanics, the wave function encodes all information about a particle through its probability density and phase. While stationary states are characterized by conserved quantum numbers such as energy and, in central potentials, angular momentum, non-stationary superpositions - particularly in anisotropic or time-dependent fields - generally lack equally universal descriptors of their spatiotemporal dynamics. Here we introduce quantum hodographs: the trajectories traced in time by the expectation value of observable vector quantities. For a free electron in a superposition of three plane waves, all hodographs of the probability current lie on a universal cubic surface with conical singularities. Rational frequency (energy) difference ratios produce non-contractible loops with well-defined winding numbers. In anisotropic harmonic oscillators the Ehrenfest trajectories - hodographs of the expectation value of particle radius-vector - form three-dimensional Lissajous knots, echoing the classical Thomson vortex-atom model. Externally driven quantum systems allow controllable initiation of knotted hodographs. We propose an optical modulation spectroscopy scheme for reconstructing these topological features in trapped ions and single-electron systems. The topological indices of the loops and knots are robust to parameter variations, offering a new tool for characterizing complex quantum dynamics.