The Length Scale of $3$-Space Knots, Ephemeral Knots, and Slipknots in Random Walks

The probability that a random walk or polygon in the 3-space or in the simple cubic lattice contains a small knot, an ephemeral knot, or a slipknot goes to one as the length goes to infinity. The probability that a polygon or walk contains a “global” knot also goes to one as the length goes to infinity. What immerges is a highly complex picture of the length scale of knotting in polygons and walks. Here we study the average scale of knots, ephemeral knots, and slipknots in 3-space random walks, paying special attention to the probability of their occurance and to the growth of their average sizes as a function of the length of the walk.