Maximum matchings in regular graphs

It was conjectured by Mkrtchyan, Petrosyan and Vardanyan that every graph $G$ with $\Delta \left(G\right)?\delta \left(G\right)\le 1$ has a maximum matching $M$ such that any two $M$-unsaturated vertices do not share a neighbor. The results obtained in Mkrtchyan et al. (2010), Petrosyan (2014) and Picouleau (2010) leave the conjecture unknown only for $k$-regular graphs with $4\le k\le 6$. All counterexamples for $k$-regular graphs $(k\ge 7)$ given in Petrosyan (2014) have multiple edges. In this paper, we confirm the conjecture for all $k$-regular simple graphs and also $k$-regular multigraphs with $k\le 4$.     

Rank of maximum matchings in a graph

The matching polytope is the convex hull of the incidence vectors of all (not necessarily perfect) matchings of a graphG. We consider here the problem of computing the dimension of the face of this polytope which contains the maximum cardinality matchings ofG and give a good characterization of this quantity, in terms of the cyclomatic number of the graph and families of odd subsets of the nodes which are always nearly perfectly matched by every maximum matching.This is equivalent to finding a maximum number of linearly independent representative vectors of maximum matchings ofG; the size of such a set is called thematching rank ofG. We also give in the last section a way of computing that rank independently of those parameters.Note that this gives us a good lower bound on the number of those matchings.     

A closed graph theorem for order bounded operators

The closed graph theorem is one of the cornerstones of linear functional analysis in Fréchet spaces, and the extension of this result to more general topological vector spaces is a di?cult problem comprising a great deal of technical difficulty. However, the theory of convergence vector spaces provides a natural framework for closed graph theorems. In this paper we use techniques from convergence vector space theory to prove a version of the closed graph theorem for order bounded operators on Archimedean vector lattices. This illustrates the usefulness of convergence spaces in dealing with problems in vector lattice theory, problems that may fail to be amenable to the usual Hausdorff-Kuratowski-Bourbaki concept of topology.     

Maximum Zagreb index, minimum hyper-Wiener index and graph connectivity

In this work we show that among all n-vertex graphs with edge or vertex connectivity k, the graph G=K_k(K₁+K_n−k−1), the join of K_k, the complete graph on k vertices, with the disjoint union of K₁ and K_n−k−1, is the unique graph with maximum sum of squares of vertex degrees. This graph is also the unique n-vertex graph with edge or vertex connectivity k whose hyper-Wiener index is minimum.     

Maximum skew-symmetric flows and matchings

The maximum integer skew-symmetric flow problem (MSFP) generalizes both the maximum flow and maximum matching problems. It was introduced by Tutte [28] in terms of self-conjugate flows in antisymmetrical digraphs. He showed that for these objects there are natural analogs of classical theoretical results on usual network flows, such as the flow decomposition, augmenting path, and max-flow min-cut theorems. We give unified and shorter proofs for those theoretical results. We then extend to MSFP the shortest augmenting path method of Edmonds and Karp [7] and the blocking flow method of Dinits [4], obtaining algorithms with similar time bounds in general case. Moreover, in the cases of unit arc capacities and unit node capacities our blocking skew-symmetric flow algorithm has time bounds similar to those established in [8, 21] for Dinits algorithm. In particular, this implies an algorithm for finding a maximum matching in a nonbipartite graph in time, which matches the time bound for the algorithm of Micali and Vazirani [25]. Finally, extending a clique compression technique of Feder and Motwani [9] to particular skew-symmetric graphs, we speed up the implied maximum matching algorithm to run in time, improving the best known bound for dense nonbipartite graphs. Also other theoretical and algorithmic results on skew-symmetric flows and their applications are presented.Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): 90C27, 90B10, 90C10, 05C85     

Maximum induced matchings in graphs

We provide a formula for the number of edges of a maximum induced matching in a graph. As applications, we give some structural properties of (k + 1)K₂-free graphs, construct all 2K₂-free graphs, and count the number of labeled 2K₂-free connected bipartite graphs.     

Existence of perfect matchings in a plane bipartite graph

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of perfect matchings in a plane bipartite graph in terms of elementary edge-cut, which extends the result for the existence of perfect matchings in a hexagonal system given in the paper of F. Zhang, R. Chen and X. Guo (1985).     

Problems on matchings and independent sets of a graph

Let $G$ be a finite simple graph. For $X?V\left(G\right)$, the difference of $X$, $d\left(X\right)?\left|X\right|?\left|N\left(X\right)\right|$ where $N\left(X\right)$ is the neighborhood of $X$ and $max\{d\left(X\right):X?V\left(G\right)\}$ is called the critical difference of $G$. $X$ is called a critical set if $d\left(X\right)$ equals the critical difference and $\ker \left(G\right)$ is the intersection of all critical sets. $\mathrm{diadem}\left(G\right)$ is the union of all critical independent sets. An independent set $S$ is an inclusion minimal set with$d\left(S\right)>0$ if no proper subset of $S$ has positive difference.A graph $G$ is called a König–Egerváry graph if the sum of its independence number $\alpha \left(G\right)$ and matching number $\mu \left(G\right)$ equals $\left|V\left(G\right)\right|$.In this paper, we prove a conjecture which states that for any graph the number of inclusion minimal independent set $S$ with $d\left(S\right)>0$ is at least the critical difference of the graph.We also give a new short proof of the inequality $\left|\ker \left(G\right)\right|+\left|\mathrm{diadem}\left(G\right)\right|\le 2\alpha \left(G\right)$.A characterization of unicyclic non-König–Egerváry graphs is also presented and a conjecture which states that for such a graph $G$, the critical difference equals $\alpha \left(G\right)?\mu \left(G\right)$, is proved.We also make an observation about $\ker \left(G\right)$ using Edmonds–Gallai Structure Theorem as a concluding remark.     

Random perfect matchings in regular graphs

We prove that in all regular robust expanders $G$, every edge is asymptotically equally likely contained in a uniformly chosen perfect matching $M$. We also show that given any fixed matching or spanning regular graph $N$ in $G$, the random variable $|M\cap E(N)|$ is approximately Poisson distributed. This in particular confirms a conjecture and a question due to Spiro and Surya, and complements results due to Kahn and Kim who proved that in a regular graph every vertex is asymptotically equally likely contained in a uniformly chosen matching. Our proofs rely on the switching method and the fact that simple random walks mix rapidly in robust expanders.     

最大匹配的路变换图

图G的最大匹配的路变换图NM(G)是这样一个图,它以G的最大匹配为顶点,如果两个最大匹配M_1与M_2的对称差导出的图是一条路(长度没有限制),那么M_1和M_2在NM(G)中相邻.研究了这个变换图的连通性,分别得到了这个变换图是一个完全图或一棵树或一个圈的充要条件.     

Perfect matchings in regular bipartite graphs

P. Hall, [2], gave necessary and sufficient conditions for a bipartite graph to have a perfect matching. Koning, [3], proved that such a graph can be decomposed intok edge-disjoint perfect matchings if and only if it isk-regular. It immediately follows that in ak-regular bipartite graphG, the deletion of any setS of at mostk – 1 edges leaves intact one of those perfect matchings. However, it is not known what happens if we delete more thank – 1 edges. In this paper we give sufficient conditions so that by deleting a setS ofk + r edgesr 0, stillG – S has a perfect matching. Furthermore we prove that our result, in some sense, is best possible.     

Circumference of a regular graph

It is proved that a 4-connected, δ-regular graph G either is Hamiltonian, or has at least 3δ + 1 vertices and contains a cycle of length at least min{4δ - 4, 1/2 (|G| + 3δ - 2)}. Examples supplied by B. Jackson and H.A. Jung show that min{4δ - 4, 1/2(|G| + 3δ - 2)} cannot be replaced by 4δ + 1.     

Cycles through specified vertices of a graph

We prove that ifS is a set ofk−1 vertices in ak-connected graphG, then the cycles throughS generate the cycle space ofG. Moreover, whenk≧3, each cycle ofG can be expressed as the sum of an odd number of cycles throughS. On the other hand, ifS is a set ofk vertices, these conclusions do not necessarily hold, and we characterize the exceptional cases. As corollaries, we establish the existence of odd and even cycles through specified vertices and deduce the existence of long odd and even cycles in graphs of high connectivity.     

Nearly perfect matchings in regular simple hypergraphs

For every fixedk≥3 there exists a constantc _k with the following property. LetH be ak-uniform,D-regular hypergraph onN vertices, in which no two edges contain more than one common vertex. Ifk>3 thenH contains a matching covering all vertices but at mostc _k ND ^−1/(k−1). Ifk=3, thenH contains a matching covering all vertices but at mostc ₃ ND ^−1/2ln^3/2 D. This improves previous estimates and implies, for example, that any Steiner Triple System onN vertices contains a matching covering all vertices but at mostO(N ^1/2ln^3/2 N), improving results by various authors. Research supported in part by a USA-Israel BSF grant. Research supported in part by a USA-Israel BSF Grant.