Enumerating spanning trees of graphs with an involution

As the extension of the previous work by Ciucu and the present authors [M. Ciucu, W.G. Yan, F.J. Zhang, The number of spanning trees of plane graphs with reflective symmetry, J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 112 (2005) 105-116], this paper considers the problem of enumeration of spanning trees of weighted graphs with an involution which allows fixed points. We show that if G is a weighted graph with an involution, then the sum of weights of spanning trees of G can be expressed in terms of the product of the sums of weights of spanning trees of two weighted graphs with a smaller size determined by the involution of G. As applications, we enumerate spanning trees of the almost-complete bipartite graph, the almost-complete graph, the Möbius ladder, and the almost-join of two copies of a graph.     

Resistance characterizations of equiarboreal graphs

A weighted (unweighted) graph $G$ is called equiarboreal if the sum of weights (the number) of spanning trees containing a given edge in $G$ is independent of the choice of edge. In this paper, we give some resistance characterizations of equiarboreal weighted and unweighted graphs, and obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for $k$-subdivision graphs, iterated double graphs, line graphs of regular graphs and duals of planar graphs to be equiarboreal. Applying these results, we obtain new infinite families of equiarboreal graphs, including iterated double graphs of 1-walk-regular graphs, line graphs of triangle-free 2-walk-regular graphs, and duals of equiarboreal planar graphs.     

Graphs with independent perfect matchings

A graph with at least two vertices is matching covered if it is connected and each edge lies in some perfect matching. A matching covered graph G is extremal if the number of perfect matchings of G is equal to the dimension of the lattice spanned by the set of incidence vectors of perfect matchings of G. We first establish several basic properties of extremal matching covered graphs. In particular, we show that every extremal brick may be obtained by splicing graphs whose underlying simple graphs are odd wheels. Then, using the main theorem proved in 2 and 3 , we find all the extremal cubic matching covered graphs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 19–50, 2005     

On forcing matching number of boron-nitrogen fullerene graphs

Let G be a graph that admits a perfect matching M. A forcing set S for a perfect matching M is a subset of M such that it is contained in no other perfect matchings of G. The smallest cardinality of forcing sets of M is called the forcing number of M. Computing the minimum forcing number of perfect matchings of a graph is an NP-complete problem. In this paper, we consider boron-nitrogen (BN) fullerene graphs, cubic 3-connected plane bipartite graphs with exactly six square faces and other hexagonal faces. We obtain the forcing spectrum of tubular BN-fullerene graphs with cyclic edge-connectivity 3. Then we show that all perfect matchings of any BN-fullerene graphs have the forcing number at least two. Furthermore, we mainly construct all seven BN-fullerene graphs with the minimum forcing number two.     

A note on graphs with diameter-preserving spanning trees

The distance between a pair of vertices u, v in a graph G is the length of a shortest path joining u and v. The diameter diam(G) of G is the maximum distance between all pairs of vertices in G. A spanning tree T of G is diameter preserving if diam(T) = diam(G). In this note, we characterize graphs that have diameter-preserving spanning trees.     

Fast Enumeration Algorithms for Non-crossing Geometric Graphs

A non-crossing geometric graph is a graph embedded on a set of points in the plane with non-crossing straight line segments. In this paper we present a general framework for enumerating non-crossing geometric graphs on a given point set. Applying our idea to specific enumeration problems, we obtain faster algorithms for enumerating plane straight-line graphs, non-crossing spanning connected graphs, non-crossing spanning trees, and non-crossing minimally rigid graphs. Our idea also produces efficient enumeration algorithms for other graph classes, for which no algorithm has been reported so far, such as non-crossing matchings, non-crossing red-and-blue matchings, non-crossing k-vertex or k-edge connected graphs, or non-crossing directed spanning trees. The proposed idea is relatively simple and potentially applies to various other problems of non-crossing geometric graphs.     

Locally connected spanning trees in strongly chordal graphs and proper circular-arc graphs

A locally connected spanning tree of a graph G is a spanning tree T of G such that the set of all neighbors of v in T induces a connected subgraph of G for every v∈V(G). The purpose of this paper is to give linear-time algorithms for finding locally connected spanning trees on strongly chordal graphs and proper circular-arc graphs, respectively.     

Enumeration of perfect matchings of graphs with reflective symmetry by Pfaffians

The Pfaffian method enumerating perfect matchings of plane graphs was discovered by Kasteleyn. We use this method to enumerate perfect matchings in a type of graphs with reflective symmetry which is different from the symmetric graphs considered in [J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 77 (1997) 67, MATCH—Commun. Math. Comput. Chem. 48 (2003) 117]. Here are some of our results: (1) If G is a reflective symmetric plane graph without vertices on the symmetry axis, then the number of perfect matchings of G can be expressed by a determinant of order |G|/2, where |G| denotes the number of vertices of G. (2) If G contains no subgraph which is, after the contraction of at most one cycle of odd length, an even subdivision of K_2,3, then the number of perfect matchings of G×K₂ can be expressed by a determinant of order |G|. (3) Let G be a bipartite graph without cycles of length 4s, s{1,2,…}. Then the number of perfect matchings of G×K₂ equals ∏(1+θ²)^m_θ, where the product ranges over all non-negative eigenvalues θ of G and m_θ is the multiplicity of eigenvalue θ. Particularly, if T is a tree then the number of perfect matchings of T×K₂ equals ∏(1+θ²)^m_θ, where the product ranges over all non-negative eigenvalues θ of T and m_θ is the multiplicity of eigenvalue θ.     

Transversal hypergraphs to perfect matchings in bipartite graphs: Characterization and generation algorithms

A minimal blocker in a bipartite graph G is a minimal set of edges the removal of which leaves no perfect matching in G. We give an explicit characterization of the minimal blockers of a bipartite graph G. This result allows us to obtain a polynomial delay algorithm for finding all minimal blockers of a given bipartite graph. Equivalently, we obtain a polynomial delay algorithm for listing the anti‐vertices of the perfect matching polytope of G. We also provide generation algorithms for other related problems, including d‐factors in bipartite graphs, and perfect 2‐matchings in general graphs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 209–232, 2006     

Exact arborescences,matchings and cycles

Suppose we are given a graph in which edge has an integral weight. An ‘exact’ problem is to determine whether a desired structure exists for which the sum of the edge weights is exactly k for some prescribed k.We consider the special case of the problem in which all costs are zero or one for arborescences and show that a ‘continuity’ property is prossessed similar to that possessed by matroids. This enables us to determine in polynomial time the complete set of values of k for which a solution exists. We also give a minmax theorem for the maximum possible value of k, in terms of a packing of certain directed cuts in the graph.We also show how enumerative techniques can be used to solve the general exact problem for arborescences (implying spanning trees), perfect matchings in planar graphs and sets of disjoint cycles in a class of planar directed graphs which includes those of degree three. For these problems, we thereby obtain polynomial algorithms provided that the weights are bounded by a constant or encoded in unary.     

The image of weighted combinatorial problems

The concept ofimage of an integrally weighted combinatorial problem is introduced as the vector of all possible weights of feasible solutions. This preliminary work begins to explore the possible applications of this concept and to study the computational complexity of image computations. It is shown that the images of spanning trees, matroid bases, perfect matchings and, more generally, matroid parity bases can be computed in polynomial time for some "bottleneck" objective functions (such as, for instance, the maximum weight of an element), whereas (random) pseudo-polynomial time is needed when the objective function is the sum of the element weights.     

Claw Conditions for Heavy Cycles in Weighted Graphs

A graph is called a weighted graph when each edge e is assigned a nonnegative number w(e), called the weight of e. For a vertex v of a weighted graph, d^w(v) is the sum of the weights of the edges incident with v. For a subgraph H of a weighted graph G, the weight of H is the sum of the weights of the edges belonging to H. In this paper, we give a new sufficient condition for a weighted graph to have a heavy cycle. A 2-connected weighted graph G contains either a Hamilton cycle or a cycle of weight at least c, if G satisfies the following conditions: In every induced claw or induced modified claw F of G, (1) max{d^w(x),d^w(y)} c/2 for each non-adjacent pair of vertices x and y in F, and (2) all edges of F have the same weight.     

Dirac's Condition for Completely Independent Spanning Trees

Two spanning trees T₁ and T₂ of a graph G are completely independent if, for any two vertices u and v, the paths from u to v in T₁ and T₂ are internally disjoint. In this article, we show two sufficient conditions for the existence of completely independent spanning trees. First, we show that a graph of n vertices has two completely independent spanning trees if the minimum degree of the graph is at least . Then, we prove that the square of a 2‐connected graph has two completely independent spanning trees. These conditions are known to be sufficient conditions for Hamiltonian graphs.     

Transforming trees by successive local complementations

A local complementation of a simple graph G at a vertex v consists in replacing the subgraph induced by G on the neighborhood of v by the complementary graph. Two graphs are locally equivalent if they are related by a sequence of local complementations. H. M. Mulder conjectured that any two locally equivalent trees are isomorphic. We prove this conjecture and we characterize those graphs that are locally equivalent to trees.     

Classification of interpolation theorems for spanning trees and other families of spanning subgraphs

We say that a graphical invariant i of a graph interpolates over a family F of graphs if i satisfies the following property: If m and M are the minimum and maximum values (respectively) of i over all graphs in F then for each k, m ? k ? M, there is a graph H in F for which i(H)= k. In previous works it was shown that when F is the set of spanning trees of a connected graph G, a large number of invariants interpolate (some of these invariants require the additional assumption that G be 2-connected). Although the proofs of all these results use the same basic idea of gradually transforming one tree into another via a sequence of edge exchanges, some of these processes require sequences that use more properties of trees than do others. We show that the edge exchange proofs can be divided into three types, in accordance with the extent to which the exchange sequence depends upon properties of spanning trees. This idea is then used to obtain new interpolation results for some invariants, and to show how the exchange methods and interpolation results on spanning trees can be extended to other families of spanning subgraphs.     

Three tree-paths

Itai and Rodeh [3] have proved that for any 2-connected graph G and any vertex s ∈ G there are two spanning trees such that the paths from any other vertex to s on the trees are disjoint. In this paper the result is generalized to 3-connected graphs.     

On Characterizations of Rigid Graphs in the Plane Using Spanning Trees

We study characterizations of generic rigid graphs and generic circuits in the plane using only few decompositions into spanning trees. Generic rigid graphs in the plane can be characterized by spanning tree decompositions [5,6]. A graph G with n vertices and 2n − 3 edges is generic rigid in the plane if and only if doubling any edge results in a graph which is the union of two spanning trees. This requires 2n − 3 decompositions into spanning trees. We show that n − 2 decompositions suffice: only edges of G − T can be doubled where T is a spanning tree of G. A recent result on tensegrity frameworks by Recski [7] implies a characterization of generic circuits in the plane. A graph G with n vertices and 2n − 2 edges is a generic circuit in the plane if and only if replacing any edge of G by any (possibly new) edge results in a graph which is the union of two spanning trees. This requires decompositions into spanning trees. We show that 2n − 2 decompositions suffice. Let be any circular order of edges of G (i.e. ). The graph G is a generic circuit in the plane if and only if is the union of two spanning trees for any . Furthermore, we show that only n decompositions into spanning trees suffice.     

A Fan Type Condition For Heavy Cycles in Weighted Graphs

 A weighted graph is a graph in which each edge e is assigned a non-negative number w(e), called the weight of e. The weight of a cycle is the sum of the weights of its edges. The weighted degree d ^w (v) of a vertex v is the sum of the weights of the edges incident with v. In this paper, we prove the following result: Suppose G is a 2-connected weighted graph which satisfies the following conditions: 1. max{d ^w (x),d ^w (y)∣d(x,y)=2}≥c/2; 2. w(x z)=w(y z) for every vertex z∈N(x)∩N(y) with d(x,y)=2; 3. In every triangle T of G, either all edges of T have different weights or all edges of T have the same weight. Then G contains either a Hamilton cycle or a cycle of weight at least c. This generalizes a theorem of Fan on the existence of long cycles in unweighted graphs to weighted graphs. We also show we cannot omit Condition 2 or 3 in the above result. Received: February 7, 2000 Final version received: June 5, 2001     

A charcterization of 4-edge-connected eulerian graphs

Let v be an arbitrary vertex of a 4-edge-connected Eulerian graph G. First we show the existence of a nonseparating cycle decompositiion of G with respect to v. With the help of this decomposition we are then able to construct 4 edge-independent spanning trees with the common root v in the sam graph. We conclude that an Eulerian graph G is 4-edge-connected iff for every vertex r ? V (G) there exist 4 edge-independent spanning trees with a common root r. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Perfect Matchings of Cellular Graphs

We introduce a family of graphs, called cellular, and consider the problem of enumerating their perfect matchings. We prove that the number of perfect matchings of a cellular graph equals a power of 2 times the number of perfect matchings of a certain subgraph, called the core of the graph. This yields, as a special case, a new proof of the fact that the Aztec diamond graph of order n introduced by Elkies, Kuperberg, Larsen and Propp has exactly 2 ^n(n+1)/2 perfect matchings. As further applications, we prove a recurrence for the number of perfect matchings of certain cellular graphs indexed by partitions, and we enumerate the perfect matchings of two other families of graphs called Aztec rectangles and Aztec triangles.