Packing directed circuits

We prove a conjecture of Younger, that for every integern0 there exists an integert0 such that for every digraphG, eitherG hasn vertex-disjoint directed circuits, orG can be made acyclic by deleting at mostt vertices.Research partially supported by DONET ECHM contract CHRXCT930090.Research partially supported by DIMACS, by NSF grant DMS-9401981 and by ONR grant N00014-92-J-1965, and partially performed under a consulting agreement with Bellcore.Research partially supported by DIMACS, by Université de Paris VI, by NSF grant DMS-9303761 and by ONR grant N00014-93-1-0325, and partially performed under a consulting agreement with Bellcore.     

An approximate Dirac-type theorem for k-uniform hypergraphs

A k-uniform hypergraph is hamiltonian if for some cyclic ordering of its vertex set, every k consecutive vertices form an edge. In 1952 Dirac proved that if the minimum degree in an n-vertex graph is at least n/2 then the graph is hamiltonian. We prove an approximate version of an analogous result for uniform hypergraphs: For every K ≥ 3 and γ > 0, and for all n large enough, a sufficient condition for an n-vertex k-uniform hypergraph to be hamiltonian is that each (k − 1)-element set of vertices is contained in at least (1/2 + γ)n edges. Research supported by NSF grant DMS-0300529. Research supported by KBN grant 2P03A 015 23 and N201036 32/2546. Part of research performed at Emory University, Atlanta. Research supported by NSF grant DMS-0100784.     

Sharpening the LYM inequality

The level sequence of a Sperner familyF is the sequencef(F)={f _i (F)}, wheref _i (F) is the number ofi element sets ofF . TheLYM inequality gives a necessary condition for an integer sequence to be the level sequence of a Sperner family on ann element set. Here we present an indexed family of inequalities that sharpen theLYM inequality.Research supported in part by Alexander v. Humboldt-StiftungResearch supported in part by NSF under grant DMS-86-06225 and AFOSR grant OSR-86-0078Research supported in part by NSF grant CCR-8911388Research supported in part by OTKA 327 0113     

On 3-pushdown graphs with large separators

For an integers letl ^s (n), thes-iterated logarithm function, be defined inductively:l ⁰ (n)=n,l ^s+1 (n)=log₂ (l ² (n)) fors0. We show that for every fixeds and alln large enough, there is ann-vertex 3-pushdown graph whose smallest separator contains at least(n/l ^s (n)) vertices.The work of the first author was supported in part by NSF Grants MCS-83-03139, DCR-85-11713 and CCR-86-05353.The work of the second author was supported in part by NSF Grants MCS-84-16190.     

A nowhere-zero point in linear mappings

We state the following conjecture and prove it for the case whereq is a proper prime power:Let A be a nonsingular n by n matrix over the finite field GF_qq4, then there exists a vector x in (GF_q)ⁿ such that both x and Ax have no zero component.Research supported in part by Allon Fellowship and by a Bat Sheva de Rothschild grant.     

The choice number of random bipartite graphs

A random bipartite graphG(n, n, p) is obtained by taking two disjoint subsets of verticesA andB of cardinalityn each, and by connecting each pair of verticesaA andbB by an edge randomly and independently with probabilityp=p(n). We show that the choice number ofG(n, n, p) is, almost surely, (1+o(1))log₂(np) for all values of the edge probabilityp=p(n), where theo(1) term tends to 0 asnp tends to infinity.Research supported in part by a USA-Israeli BSF grant, a grant from the Israel Science Foundation, a Sloan Foundation grant No. 96-6-2 and a State of New Jersey grant.Research supported by an IAS/DIMACS Postdoctoral Fellowship.     

An optimal lower bound on the number of variables for graph identification

In this paper we show that (n) variables are needed for first-order logic with counting to identify graphs onn vertices. Thek-variable language with counting is equivalent to the (k–1)-dimensional Weisfeiler-Lehman method. We thus settle a long-standing open problem. Previously it was an open question whether or not 4 variables suffice. Our lower bound remains true over a set of graphs of color class size 4. This contrasts sharply with the fact that 3 variables suffice to identify all graphs of color class size 3, and 2 variables suffice to identify almost all graphs. Our lower bound is optimal up to multiplication by a constant becausen variables obviously suffice to identify graphs onn vertices.Research supported by NSF grant CCR-8709818.Research supported by NSF grant CCR-8805978 and Pennsylvania State University Research Initiation grant 428-45.Research supported by NSF grants DCR-8603346 and CCR-8806308.     

Cutting planes,connectivity, and threshold logic

Originating from work in operations research the cutting plane refutation systemCP is an extension of resolution, where unsatisfiable propositional logic formulas in conjunctive normal form are recognized by showing the non-existence of boolean solutions to associated families of linear inequalities. Polynomial sizeCP proofs are given for the undirecteds-t connectivity principle. The subsystemsCP _q ofCP, forq2, are shown to be polynomially equivalent toCP, thus answering problem 19 from the list of open problems of [8]. We present a normal form theorem forCP ₂-proofs and thereby for arbitraryCP-proofs. As a corollary, we show that the coefficients and constant terms in arbitrary cutting plane proofs may be exponentially bounded by the number of steps in the proof, at the cost of an at most polynomial increase in the number of steps in the proof. The extensionCPLE ⁺, introduced in [9] and there shown top-simulate Frege systems, is proved to be polynomially equivalent to Frege systems. Lastly, since linear inequalities are related to threshold gates, we introduce a new threshold logic and prove a completeness theorem.Supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9205181 and by US-Czech Science and Technology Grant 93-205Partially supported by NSF grant CCR-9102896 and by US-Czech Science and Technology Grant 93-205     

On the spanning trees of weighted graphs

Given a weighted graph, letW ₁,W ₂,W ₃,... denote the increasing sequence of all possible distinct spanning tree weights. Settling a conjecture due to Kano, we prove that every spanning tree of weightW ₁ is at mostk–1 edge swaps away from some spanning tree of weightW _k . Three other conjectures posed by Kano are proven for two special classes of graphs. Finally, we consider the algorithmic complexity of generating a spanning tree of weightW _k .This work was supported in part by a grant from the AT&T foundation and NSF grant DCR-8351757.Primarily supported by a 1967 Science and Engineering Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Quasi-planar graphs have a linear number of edges

A graph is calledquasi-planar if it can be drawn in the plane so that no three of its edges are pairwise crossing. It is shown that the maximum number of edges of a quasi-planar graph withn vertices isO(n).Work on this paper by Pankaj K. Agarwal, Boris Aronov and Micha Sharir has been supported by a grant from the U.S.-Israeli Binational Science Foundation. Work on this paper by Pankaj K. Agarwal has also been supported by NSF Grant CCR-93-01259, by an Army Research Office MURI grant DAAH04-96-1-0013, by an NYI award, and by matching funds from Xerox Corporation. Work on this paper by Boris Aronov has also been supported by NSF Grant CCR-92-11541 and by a Sloan Research Fellowship. Work on this paper by János Pach, Richard Pollack, and Micha Sharir has been supported by NSF Grants CCR-91-22103 and CCR-94-24398. Work by János Pach was also supported by Grant OTKA-4269 and by a CUNY Research Award. Work by Richard Pollack was also supported by NSF Grants CCR-94-02640 and DMS-94-00293. Work by Micha Sharir was also supported by NSF Grant CCR-93-11127, by a Max-Planck Research Award, and by grants from the Israel Science Fund administered by the Israeli Academy of Sciences, and the G.I.F., the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development. Part of the work on this paper was done during the participation of the first four authors in the Special Semester on Computational and Combinatorial Geometry organized by the Mathematical Research Institute of Tel Aviv University, Spring 1995.     

How Many Ways Can One Draw A Graph?

Using results from extremal graph theory, we determine the asymptotic number of string graphs with n vertices, i.e., graphs that can be obtained as the intersection graph of a system of continuous arcs in the plane. The number becomes much smaller, for any fixed d, if we restrict our attention to systems of arcs, any two of which cross at most d times. As an application, we estimate the number of different drawings of the complete graph K_n with n vertices under various side conditions. Dedicated to Miklós Simonovits on his sixtieth birthday * Supported by NSF grant CR-00-98246, PSC-CUNY Research Award 62450-0031 and OTKA-T-032452. † Supported by OTKA-T-032452 and OTKA-T-038397.     

Spanning trees and a conjecture of Kontsevich

Kontsevich conjectured that the number of zeros over the fieldF _q of a certain polynomialQ _G associated with the spanning trees of a graphG is a polynomial function ofq. We show the connection between this conjecture, the Matrix-Tree Theorem, and orthogonal geometry. We verify the conjecture in certain cases, such as the complete graph, and discuss some modifications and extensions.Partially supported by NSF grant #DMS-9743966.     

Embedding nearly-spanning bounded degree trees

We derive a sufficient condition for a sparse graph G on n vertices to contain a copy of a tree T of maximum degree at most d on (1 − ε)n vertices, in terms of the expansion properties of G. As a result we show that for fixed d ≥ 2 and 0 < ε < 1, there exists a constant c = c(d, ε) such that a random graph G(n, c/n) contains almost surely a copy of every tree T on (1 − ε)n vertices with maximum degree at most d. We also prove that if an (n, D, λ)-graph G (i.e., a D-regular graph on n vertices all of whose eigenvalues, except the first one, are at most λ in their absolute values) has large enough spectral gap D/λ as a function of d and ε, then G has a copy of every tree T as above. Research supported in part by a USA-Israeli BSF grant, by NSF grant CCR-0324906, by a Wolfensohn fund and by the State of New Jersey. Research supported in part by USA-Israel BSF Grant 2002-133, and by grants 64/01 and 526/05 from the Israel Science Foundation. Research supported in part by NSF CAREER award DMS-0546523, NSF grant DMS-0355497, USA-Israeli BSF grant, and by an Alfred P. Sloan fellowship.     

A random 1-011-011-01algorithm for depth first search

In this paper we present a fast parallel algorithm for constructing a depth first search tree for an undirected graph. The algorithm is anRNC algorithm, meaning that it is a probabilistic algorithm that runs in polylog time using a polynomial number of processors on aP-RAM. The run time of the algorithm isO(T _MM(n) log³ n), and the number of processors used isP _MM (n) whereT _MM(n) andP _MM(n) are the time and number of processors needed to find a minimum weight perfect matching on ann vertex graph with maximum edge weightn.This research was done while the first author was visiting the Mathematical Research Institute in Berkeley. Research supported in part by NSF grant 8120790.Supported by Air Force Grant AFOSR-85-0203A.     

The random-cluster model on a homogeneous tree

Summary The random-cluster model on a homogeneous tree is defined and studied. It is shown that for 1q2, the percolation probability in the maximal random-cluster measure is continuous inp, while forq>2 it has a discontinuity at the critical valuep=p _c (q). It is also shown that forq>2, there is nonuniqueness of random-cluster measures for an entire interval of values ofp. The latter result is in sharp contrast to what happens on the integer lattice Z ^d .Research partially supported by a grant from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences     

Regularity of the Bergman Projection on Forms and Plurisubharmonicity Conditions

Let be a smoothly bounded domain. Suppose Ω has a defining function, such that the sum of any q eigenvalues of its complex Hessian is non-negative. We show that this implies global regularity of the Bergman projection, B _j-1, and the -Neumann operator, N _j , acting on (0,j)-forms, for .Research of the first author was partially supported by a Rackham Fellowship.Research of the second author was partially supported by an NSF grant.     

Efficient algorithms for finding minimum spanning trees in undirected and directed graphs

Recently, Fredman and Tarjan invented a new, especially efficient form of heap (priority queue). Their data structure, theFibonacci heap (or F-heap) supports arbitrary deletion inO(logn) amortized time and other heap operations inO(1) amortized time. In this paper we use F-heaps to obtain fast algorithms for finding minimum spanning trees in undirected and directed graphs. For an undirected graph containingn vertices andm edges, our minimum spanning tree algorithm runs inO(m logβ (m, n)) time, improved fromO(mβ(m, n)) time, whereβ(m, n)=min {i|log⁽ⁱ⁾ n ≦m/n}. Our minimum spanning tree algorithm for directed graphs runs inO(n logn + m) time, improved fromO(n log n +m log log log_(m/n+2) n). Both algorithms can be extended to allow a degree constraint at one vertex. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8302648. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8303139. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8300984 and a United States Army Research Office Program Fellowship, DAAG29-83-GO020.     

Minimum cutsets for an element of a boolean lattice

An informative new proof is given for the theorem of Nowakowski that determines for all n and k the minimum size of a cutset for an element A with |A|=k of the Boolean algebra B _n of all subsets of {1,...,n}, ordered by inclusion. An inequality is obtained for cutsets for A that is reminiscent of Lubell's inequality for antichains in B _n. A new result that is provided by this approach is a list of all minimum cutsets for A.Research supported in part by NSF Grant DMS 87-01475.Research supported in part by NSF Grant DMS 86-06225 and Air Force OSR-86-0076.     

Representing an ordered set as the intersection of super greedy linear extensions

A linear extension [x ₁2<...t] of a finite ordered set P=(P, <) is super greedy if it can be obtained using the following procedure: Choose x ₁ to be a minimal element of P; suppose x ₁,...,x _i have been chosen; define p(x) to be the largest ji such that x _jj exists and 0 otherwise; choose x _i+1 to be a minimal element of P-{ x ₁,...,x _i} which maximizes p. Every finite ordered set P can be represented as the intersection of a family of super greedy linear extensions, called a super greedy realizer of P. The super greedy dimension of P is the minimum cardinality of a super greedy realizer of P. Best possible upper bounds for the super greedy dimension of P are derived in terms of |P-A| and width (P-A), where A is a maximal antichain.Research supported in part by NSF grant IPS-80110451.Research supported in part by ONR grant N00014-85K-0494 and NSERC grants 69-3378, 69-0259, and 69-1325.Research supported in part by NSF grant DMS-8401281.     

Towards a characterization of generalized twisted field planes

In this work we study semifield planes of orderq ⁿ(q=p ^r ,p prime) with a collineation whose order is ap-primitive divisor ofq ⁿ–1.Research supported in part by NSF Grant No. DMS-9107372Research supported in part by NSF grants RII-9014056, component IV of the EPSCoR of Puerto Rico grant and ARO grant for Cornell MSI.