A Fox-Milnor theorem for the Alexander polynomial of knotted $2$-spheres in $S^4$

Abstract

For knots in $S^3$, it is well-known that the Alexander polynomial of a ribbon knot factorizes as $f(t)f(t^{-1})$ for some polynomial $f(t)$. By contrast, the Alexander polynomial of a ribbon $2$-knot is not even symmetric in general. Via an alternative notion of ribbon $2$-knots, we give a topological condition on a $2$-knot that implies the factorization of the Alexander polynomial.