Renzo Ricca

Twist-fold processes are ubiquitous in nature and are often governed by energy relaxation mechanisms. In this talk we show how the Reidemeister twist move associated with an inflexional instability of a physical knot leads to an energy change of the system, sometimes with dramatic effects. Three different cases are considered: when magnetic energy is released, when elastic energy is stored, and when tension energy is re-distributed through the topological re-organisation of a soap film.