Composition Properties of Hyperbolic Links in Handlebodies

Abstract

We consider knots and links in handlebodies that have hyperbolic complements and operations akin to composition. Cutting the complements of two such open along separating twice-punctured disks such that each of the four resulting handlebodies has positive genus, and gluing a pair of pieces together along the twice-punctured disks in their boundaries, we show the result is also hyperbolic. This should be contrasted with composition of any pair of knots in the 3-sphere, which is never hyperbolic. Similar results are obtained when both twice-punctured disks are in the same handlebody and we glue a resultant piece to itself along copies of the twice-punctured disks on its boundary. We include applications to staked links.