Topological bounds on the dimension of orthogonal representations of graphs

An orthogonal representation of a graph is an assignment of nonzero real vectors to its vertices such that distinct non-adjacent vertices are assigned to orthogonal vectors. We prove general lower bounds on the dimension of orthogonal representations of graphs using the Borsuk–Ulam theorem from algebraic topology. Our bounds strengthen the Kneser conjecture, proved by Lovász in 1978, and some of its extensions due to Bárány, Schrijver, Dol’nikov, and Kriz. As applications, we determine the integrality gap of fractional upper bounds on the Shannon capacity of graphs and the quantum one-round communication complexity of certain promise equality problems.     

Carathéodory-type Theorems à la Bárány

We generalise the famous Helly–Lovász theorem leading to a generalisation of the Bárány–Carathéodory theorem for oriented matroids in dimension ≤3. We also provide a non-metric proof of the latter colourful theorem for arbitrary dimensions and explore some generalisations in dimension 2.     

Oriented matroids and Ky Fan’s theorem

L. Lovász (Matroids and Sperner’s Lemma, Europ. J. Comb. 1 (1980), 65–66) has shown that Sperner’s combinatorial lemma admits a generalization involving a matroid defined on the set of vertices of the associated triangulation. We prove that Ky Fan’s theorem admits an oriented matroid generalization of similar nature. Classical Ky Fan’s theorem is obtained as a corollary if the underlying oriented matroid is chosen to be the alternating matroid C ^m,r .     

Multiplicity of the second Schrödinger eigenvalue on closed surfaces

We improve – roughly by a factor 2 – the known bound on the multiplicity of the second eigenvalue of Schr?dinger operators (i.e. Laplace plus potential) on closed surfaces. This gives four new topological types of surfaces for which Colin de Verdière's conjecture relating the maximal multiplicity to the chromatic number of the surface is verified. The proof goes by defining a space of "nodal splittings” of the surface, equipped with a double covering to which a Borsuk-Ulam type theorem is applied. Received: 19 June 2001; revised version: 18 March 2002 /Published online: 17 June 2002     

Edge coloring models and reflection positivity

Solving a conjecture of M. H. Freedman, L. Lovász and A. Schrijver, we prove that a graph parameter is edge reflection positive and multiplicative if and only if it can be represented by an edge coloring model.

     

Modularity of 2-adic Barsotti-Tate representations

We prove a modularity lifting theorem for two dimensional, 2-adic, potentially Barsotti-Tate representations. This proves hypothesis (H) of Khare-Wintenberger, and completes the proof of Serre’s conjecture. The main new ingredient is a classification of connected finite flat group schemes over rings of integers of finite extensions of ℚ₂.     

The Hardness of 3-Uniform Hypergraph Coloring

We prove that coloring a 3-uniform 2-colorable hypergraph with c colors is NP-hard for any constant c. The best known algorithm [20] colors such a graph using O(n^1/5) colors. Our result immediately implies that for any constants k ≥ 3 and c₂ > c₁ > 1, coloring a k-uniform c₁-colorable hypergraph with c₂ colors is NP-hard; the case k = 2, however, remains wide open. This is the first hardness result for approximately-coloring a 3-uniform hypergraph that is colorable with a constant number of colors. For k ≥ 4 such a result has been shown by [14], who also discussed the inherent difference between the k = 3 case and k ≥ 4. Our proof presents a new connection between the Long-Code and the Kneser graph, and relies on the high chromatic numbers of the Kneser graph [19,22] and the Schrijver graph [26]. We prove a certain maximization variant of the Kneser conjecture, namely that any coloring of the Kneser graph by fewer colors than its chromatic number, has ‘many’ non-monochromatic edges. * Research supported by NSF grant CCR-9987845. † Supported by an Alon Fellowship and by NSF grant CCR-9987845. ‡ Work supported in part by NSF grants CCF-9988526 and DMS 9729992, and the State of New Jersery.     

Short proofs of classical theorems

We give proofs of Ore's theorem on Hamilton circuits, Brooks' theorem on vertex coloring, and Vizing's theorem on edge coloring, as well as the Chvátal-Lovász theorem on semi-kernels, a theorem of Lu on spanning arborescences of tournaments, and a theorem of Gutin on diameters of orientations of graphs. These proofs, while not radically different from existing ones, are perhaps simpler and more natural. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 44: 159–165, 2003     

Combinatorial Groupoids,Cubical Complexes,and the Lovász Conjecture

This paper lays the foundation for a theory of combinatorial groupoids that allows us to use concepts like “holonomy”, “parallel transport”, “bundles”, “combinatorial curvature”, etc. in the context of simplicial (polyhedral) complexes, posets, graphs, polytopes and other combinatorial objects. We introduce a new, holonomy-type invariant for cubical complexes, leading to a combinatorial “Theorema Egregium” for cubical complexes that are non-embeddable into cubical lattices. Parallel transport of Hom-complexes and maps is used as a tool to extend Babson–Kozlov–Lovász graph coloring results to more general statements about nondegenerate maps (colorings) of simplicial complexes and graphs. The author was supported by grants 144014 and 144026 of the Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology.     

Ear Decompositions of Matching Covered Graphs

G different from and has at least Δ edge-disjoint removable ears, where Δ is the maximum degree of G. This shows that any matching covered graph G has at least Δ! different ear decompositions, and thus is a generalization of the fundamental theorem of Lovász and Plummer establishing the existence of ear decompositions. We also show that every brick G different from and has Δ− 2 edges, each of which is a removable edge in G, that is, an edge whose deletion from G results in a matching covered graph. This generalizes a well-known theorem of Lovász. We also give a simple proof of another theorem due to Lovász which says that every nonbipartite matching covered graph has a canonical ear decomposition, that is, one in which either the third graph in the sequence is an odd-subdivision of or the fourth graph in the sequence is an odd-subdivision of . Our method in fact shows that every nonbipartite matching covered graph has a canonical ear decomposition which is optimal, that is one which has as few double ears as possible. Most of these results appear in the Ph. D. thesis of the first author [1], written under the supervision of the second author. Received: November 3, 1997     

On the topological lower bound for the multichromatic number

In 1976, Stahl [14] defined the m-tuple coloring of a graph G and formulated a conjecture on the multichromatic number of Kneser graphs. For m=1 this conjecture is Kneser’s conjecture, which was proved by Lovász in 1978 [10]. Here we show that Lovász’s topological lower bound given in this way cannot be used to prove Stahl’s conjecture. We obtain that the strongest index bound only gives the trivial m⋅ω(G) lower bound if m≥|V(G)|. On the other hand, the connectivity bound for Kneser graphs is constant if m is sufficiently large. These findings provide new examples of graphs showing that the gaps between the chromatic number, the index bound and the connectivity bound can be arbitrarily large.     

Semidefinite bounds for the stability number of a graph via sums of squares of polynomials

Lovász and Schrijver (SIAM J. Optim. 1:166–190, 1991) have constructed semidefinite relaxations for the stable set polytope of a graph G = (V,E) by a sequence of lift-and-project operations; their procedure finds the stable set polytope in at most α(G) steps, where α(G) is the stability number of G. Two other hierarchies of semidefinite bounds for the stability number have been proposed by Lasserre (SIAM J. Optim. 11:796–817, 2001; Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 293–303, 2001) and by de Klerk and Pasechnik (SIAM J. Optim. 12:875–892), which are based on relaxing nonnegativity of a polynomial by requiring the existence of a sum of squares decomposition. The hierarchy of Lasserre is known to converge in α(G) steps as it refines the hierarchy of Lovász and Schrijver, and de Klerk and Pasechnik conjecture that their hierarchy also finds the stability number after α(G) steps. We prove this conjecture for graphs with stability number at most 8 and we show that the hierarchy of Lasserre refines the hierarchy of de Klerk and Pasechnik.      

Circuits through specified edges

We prove a theorem implying the conjecture of Woodall [14] that, given any k independent edges in a (k+1)-connected graph, there is a circuit containing all of them. This implies the truth of a conjecture of Berge [1, p.214] and provides strong evidence to a conjecture of Lovász [8].     

Re-extending Chebyshev’s theorem about Bertrand’s conjecture

In this paper, Chebyshev’s theorem (1850) about Bertrand’s conjecture is re-extended using a theorem about Sierpinski’s conjecture (1958). The theorem had been extended before several times, but this extension is a major extension far beyond the previous ones. At the beginning of the proof, maximal gaps table is used to verify initial states. The extended theorem contains a constant r, which can be reduced if more initial states can be checked. Therefore, the theorem can be even more extended when maximal gaps table is extended. The main extension idea is not based on r, though. Published in Ukrains’kyi Matematychnyi Zhurnal, Vol. 59, No. 12, pp. 1701–1706, December, 2007.     

Cyclic orders: Equivalence and duality

Cyclic orders of graphs and their equivalence have been promoted by Bessy and Thomassé’s recent proof of Gallai’s conjecture. We explore this notion further: we prove that two cyclic orders are equivalent if and only if the winding number of every circuit is the same in the two. The proof is short and provides a good characterization and a polynomial algorithm for deciding whether two orders are equivalent. We then derive short proofs of Gallai’s conjecture and a theorem “polar to” the main result of Bessy and Thomassé, using the duality theorem of linear programming, total unimodularity, and the new result on the equivalence of cyclic orders.     

A counterexample to a conjecture on paths of bounded length

In a recent paper Lovász, Neumann-Lara, and Plummer studied Mengerian theorems for paths of bounded length. Their study led to a conjecture concerning the extent to which Menger's theorem can fail when restricted to paths of bounded length. In this paper we offer counterexamples to this conjecture.     

A new approximation operator of the Arato-Renyi type

In this paper a new approximation operator is introduced and its properties are studied. Special cases of this operator are the well-known Szàsz power-series approximation operator and its generalization by D. Leviatan. The behaviour of the new approximation operator at points of continuity and discontinuity is investigated by using probabilistic tools as the Chebishev inequality and Liapounov’s central limit theorem. Such probabilistic methods of proof simplify the proofs and give better understanding of the approximation mechanism.     

Tverberg’s theorem via number fields

We show that Tverberg’s theorem follows easily from a theorem of which Bárány [1] has given a very short proof.