An algorithm for comparing Legendrian knots

Abstract

We construct an algorithm to decide whether two given Legendrian or transverse links are equivalent. In general, the complexity of the algorithm is too high for practical implementation. However, in many cases, when the symmetry group of the link is small and explicitly known, the most time-consuming part of the algorithm can be bypassed, thus allowing one to compare many pairs of Legendrian and transverse links in practice.

26 pages, 16 figures