Complexes of graph homomorphisms

Hom(G, H) is a polyhedral complex defined for any two undirected graphsG andH. This construction was introduced by Lovász to give lower bounds for chromatic numbers of graphs. In this paper we initiate the study of the topological properties of this class of complexes. We prove that Hom(K _m, K_n) is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of (n−m)-dimensional spheres, and provide an enumeration formula for the number of the spheres. As a corollary we prove that if for some graphG, and integersm≥2 andk≥−1, we have ϖ ₁ ^k (Hom(K _m, G))≠0, thenχ(G)≥k+m; here ℤ₂-action is induced by the swapping of two vertices inK _m, and ϖ₁ is the first Stiefel-Whitney class corresponding to this action. Furthermore, we prove that a fold in the first argument of Hom(G, H) induces a homotopy equivalence. It then follows that Hom(F, K _n) is homotopy equivalent to a direct product of (n−2)-dimensional spheres, while Hom(F, K _n) is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres, whereF is an arbitrary forest andF is its complement. The second author acknowledges support by the University of Washington, Seattle, the Swiss National Science Foundation Grant PP002-102738/1, the University of Bern, and the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.     

The equivariant topology of stable Kneser graphs

The stable Kneser graph SG_n,k, n?1, k?0, introduced by Schrijver (1978) [19], is a vertex critical graph with chromatic number k+2, its vertices are certain subsets of a set of cardinality m=2n+k. Björner and de Longueville (2003) [5] have shown that its box complex is homotopy equivalent to a sphere, Hom(K₂,SG_n,k)?Sk. The dihedral group D2m acts canonically on SG_n,k, the group C₂ with 2 elements acts on K₂. We almost determine the (C₂×D2m)-homotopy type of Hom(K₂,SG_n,k) and use this to prove the following results.The graphs SG_2s,4 are homotopy test graphs, i.e. for every graph H and r?0 such that Hom(SG_2s,4,H) is (r−1)-connected, the chromatic number χ(H) is at least r+6.If k∉{0,1,2,4,8} and n?N(k) then SG_n,k is not a homotopy test graph, i.e. there are a graph G and an r?1 such that Hom(SG_n,k,G) is (r−1)-connected and χ(G)<r+k+2.     

On cycle—Complete graph ramsey numbers

A new upper bound is given for the cycle-complete graph Ramsey number r(C_m, K_n), the smallest order for a graph which forces it to contain either a cycle of order m or a set of n independent vertices. Then, another cycle-complete graph Ramsey number is studied, namely r(?C_m, K_n) the smallest order for a graph which forces it to contain either a cycle of order / for some / satisfying 3?/?m or a set of n independent vertices. We obtain the exact value of r(?C_m K_n) for all m > n and an upper bound which applies when m is large in comparison with log n.     

Pseudospectra, critical points and multiple eigenvalues of matrix polynomials

We develop a general framework for perturbation analysis of matrix polynomials. More specifically, we show that the normed linear space L_m(C^n×n) of n-by-n matrix polynomials of degree at most m provides a natural framework for perturbation analysis of matrix polynomials in L_m(C^n×n). We present a family of natural norms on the space L_m(C^n×n) and show that the norms on the spaces C^m+1 and C^n×n play a crucial role in the perturbation analysis of matrix polynomials. We define pseudospectra of matrix polynomials in the general framework of the normed space L_m(C^n×n) and show that the pseudospectra of matrix polynomials well known in the literature follow as special cases. We analyze various properties of pseudospectra in the unified framework of the normed space L_m(C^n×n). We analyze critical points of backward errors of approximate eigenvalues of matrix polynomials and show that each critical point is a multiple eigenvalue of an appropriately perturbed polynomial. We show that common boundary points of components of pseudospectra of matrix polynomials are critical points. As a consequence, we show that a solution of Wilkinson’s problem for matrix polynomials can be read off from the pseudospectra of matrix polynomials.     

Topology of Hom complexes and test graphs for bounding chromatic number

The Hom complex of homomorphisms between two graphs was originally introduced to provide topological lower bounds on the chromatic number. In this paper we introduce new methods for understanding the topology of Hom complexes, mostly in the context of Γ-actions on graphs and posets (for some group Γ). We view the Hom(T, ⊙) and Hom(⊙, G) complexes as functors from graphs to posets, and introduce a functor (⊙)¹ from posets to graphs obtained by taking atoms as vertices. Our main structural results establish useful interpretations of the equivariant homotopy type of Hom complexes in terms of spaces of equivariant poset maps and Γ-twisted products of spaces. When P:= F(X) is the face poset of a simplicial complex X, this provides a useful way to control the topology of Hom complexes. These constructions generalize those of the second author from [17] as well as the calculation of the homotopy groups of Hom complexes from [8].     

Embedding Planar Graphs at Fixed Vertex Locations

 Let G be a planar graph of n vertices, v ₁,…,v _n , and let {p ₁,…,p _n } be a set of n points in the plane. We present an algorithm for constructing in O(n ²) time a planar embedding of G, where vertex v _i is represented by point p _i and each edge is represented by a polygonal curve with O(n) bends (internal vertices). This bound is asymptotically optimal in the worst case. In fact, if G is a planar graph containing at least m pairwise independent edges and the vertices of G are randomly assigned to points in convex position, then, almost surely, every planar embedding of G mapping vertices to their assigned points and edges to polygonal curves has at least m/20 edges represented by curves with at least m/40³ bends. Received: May 24, 1999 Final version received: April 10, 2000     

On a problem of Erdős and Rado

We give some improved estimates for the digraph Ramsey numbersr(K _n ^* ,L _m ), the smallest numberp such that any digraph of orderp either has an independent set ofn vertices or contains a transitive tournament of orderm. By results of Baumgartner and of Erdős and Rado, this is equivalent to the following infinite partition problem: for an infinite cardinal κ and positive integersn andm, find the smallest numberp such that

On the Expected Number of Shadow Vertices of the Convex Hull of Random Points

Leta₁, . . . ,a_mbe independent random points in ⁿthat are independent and identically distributed spherically symmetrical in ⁿ. Moreover, letXbe the random polytope generated as the convex hull ofa₁, . . . ,a_mand letL_kbe an arbitraryk-dimensional subspace of ⁿwith 2 ≤k≤n− 1. LetX_kbe the orthogonal projection image ofXinL_k. We call those vertices ofXwhose projection images inL_kare vertices ofX_kshadow vertices ofXwith respect to the subspaceL_k. We derive a distribution independent sharp upper bound for the expected number of shadow vertices ofXinL_k.     

All cycle‐complete graph Ramsey numbers r(Cm,K6)

The cycle‐complete graph Ramsey number r(C_m, K_n) is the smallest integer N such that every graph G of order N contains a cycle C_m on m vertices or has independence number α(G) ≥ n. It has been conjectured by Erd?s, Faudree, Rousseau and Schelp that r(C_m, K_n) = (m ? 1) (n ? 1) + 1 for all m ≥ n ≥ 3 (except r(C₃, K₃) = 6). This conjecture holds for 3 ≤ n ≤ 5. In this paper we will present a proof for n = 6 and for all n ≥ 7 with m ≥ n² ? 2n. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 44: 251–260, 2003     

On a Minimum Linear Classification Problem

We study the following linear classification problem in signal processing: Given a set B of n black point and a set W of m white points in the plane (m=O(n)), compute a minimum number of lines L such that in the arrangement of L each face contain points with the same color (i.e., either all black points or all white points). We call this the Minimum Linear Classification (MLC) problem. We prove that MLC is NP-complete by a reduction from the Minimum Line Fitting (MLF) problem; moreover, a C-approximation to Minimum Linear Classification implies a C-approximation to the Minimum Line Fitting problem. Nevertheless, we obtain an O(log _n )-factor algorithm for MLC and we also obtain an O(log _Z)-factor algorithm for MLC where Z is the minimum number of disjoint axis-parallel black/white rectangles covering B and W.     

Splitting monoidal stable model categories

If C is a stable model category with a monoidal product then the set of homotopy classes of self-maps of the unit forms a commutative ring, [S,S]^C. An idempotent e of this ring will split the homotopy category: [X,Y]^C≅e[X,Y]^C⊕(1−e)[X,Y]^C. We prove that provided the localised model structures exist, this splitting of the homotopy category comes from a splitting of the model category, that is, C is Quillen equivalent to L_eSC×L_(1−e)SC and [X,Y]^L_eSC≅e[X,Y]^C. This Quillen equivalence is strong monoidal and is symmetric when the monoidal product of C is.     

Hamilton decompositions of cartesian products of multicycles

We define the multicycle C^(r)_m as a cycle on m vertices where each edge has multiplicity r. So C^(r)_m can be decomposed into r Hamilton cycles. We provide a complete answer to the following question: for which positive integers m, n, r, s with m, n ≥ 3 can the Cartesian product of two multicycles C^(r)_m x C^(s)_n be decomposed into r + s Hamilton cycles? We find some interesting characterizations of Hamilton cycles of C_m x C_n while answering the above question. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Classifying Hilbert bundles. II

A Hilbert bundle (p, B, X) is a type of fibre space p: B → X such that each fibre p^?1(x) is a Hilbert space. However, p^?1(x) may vary in dimension as x varies in X, even when X is connected. We give two “homotopy” type classification theorems for Hilbert bundles having primarily finite dimensional fibres. An (m, n)-bundle over the pair (X, A) is a Hilbert bundle over (p, B, X) such that the dimension of p^?1(x) is m for x in A and n otherwise. As a special case, we show that if X is a compact metric space, C₊X the upper cone of the suspension SX, then the isomorphism classes of (m, n)-bundles over (SX, C₊X) are in one-to-one correspondence with the members of [X, V_m($\text{C}$ⁿ)] where V_m($\text{C}$ⁿ) is the Stiefel manifold. The results are all applicable to the classification of separable, continuous trace C¹-algebras, with specific results given to illustrate.     

Moduli spaces of metric graphs of genus 1 with marks on vertices

In this paper we study homotopy type of certain moduli spaces of metric graphs. More precisely, we show that the spaces , which parametrize the isometry classes of metric graphs of genus 1 with n marks on vertices are homotopy equivalent to the spaces TM1,n, which are the moduli spaces of tropical curves of genus 1 with n marked points. Our proof proceeds by providing a sequence of explicit homotopies, with key role played by the so-called scanning homotopy. We conjecture that our result generalizes to the case of arbitrary genus.     

A class of hypergraphs satisfying an inequality of Lovász

The following theorem is proved: Suppose that H = (X; E₁, E₂, …, E_m) is a hypergraph without odd cycles with n vertices and p components, such that any two edges have at most k vertices in common. If for any cycle C in H, there exist two vertices of C contained in at least two common edges of H, then Σ_i=1^m (|E_i| ? k) ≤ n ? pk.     

The geometric structure and the p-rank of an affine triple system derived from a nonassociative moufang loop with the maximum associative center

H. P. Young showed that there is a one-to-one correspondence between affine triple systems (or Hall triple systems) and exp. 3-Moufang loops (ML). Recently, L. Beneteau showed that (i) for any non-associative exp. 3-ML (E, · ) with E = 3ⁿ, 3 Z(E) 3ⁿ⁻³, where n 4 and Z(E) is an associative center of (E, ·), and (ii) there exists exactly one exp. 3-ML, denoted by (E_n, ·), such that E_n = 3ⁿ and Z(E_n) = 3ⁿ⁻³ for any integer n 4. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the geometric structure of the affine triple system derived from the exp. 3-ML(E_n, ·) in detail and to compare with the structure of an affine geometry AG(n, 3). We shall obtain (a) a necessary and sufficient condition for three lines L₁, L₂ and L₃ in (E_n, ·) that the transitivity of the parallelism holds for given three lines L₁, L₂ and L₃ in (E_n, ·) such that L₁L₂ and L₂L₃ and (b) a necessary and sufficient condition for m + 1 points in E_n (1 m < n) so that the subsystem generated by those m + 1 points consists of 3^m points. Using the structure of hyperplanes in (E_n, ·), the p-rank of the incidence matrix of the affine triple system derived from the exp. 3-ML(E_n, ·) is given.     

Existence and uniqueness of the solution,separation for certain second order elliptic differential equation

In this paper, we study conditions under which Schrodinger type operators with a matrix potential is separated and Schrodinger equation has a unique solution in the weighted space L_2,k(Rⁿ)^l, where l is any natural number and k ε C¹(Rⁿ) is a positive function     

The Euclidean dimension of the join of two cycles

The Euclidean dimension of a graph G is the smallest integer p such that the vertices of G can be represented by points in the Euclidean space R^p with two points being 1 unit distance apart if and only if they represent adjacent vertices. We show that dim(C_m+C_n)=5 except that dim(C₄+C₄)=4, dim(C₅+C₅)=4, and dim(C₆+C₆)=6.