We introduce the notion of a graph derangement, which naturally interpolates between perfect matchings and Hamiltonian cycles. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of graph derangements on a locally finite graph. This result was first proved by W.T. Tutte in 1953 by applying some deeper results on digraphs. We give a new, simple proof which amounts to a reduction to the (Menger-Egervary-Konig-)Hall(-Hall) Theorem on transversals of set systems. Finally, we consider the problem of classifying all cycle types of graph derangements on m x n checkerboard graphs. Our presentation does not assume any prior knowledge in graph theory or combinatorics: all definitions and proofs of needed theorems are given.
We consider the derangement graph in which the vertices are permutations of $\{ 1,\ldots, n\}$. Two vertices are joined by an edge if the corresponding permutations differ in every position. The derangement graph is known to be Hamiltonian and Hamilton-connected. In this note, we show that the derangement graph is edge pancyclic if $n\ge 4$.
In this paper, we consider the distance spectra of the derangement graphs. First we give a constructive proof that the connected derangement graphs are of diameter 2. Then we obtain their distance spectra. In particular, we determine all their extremal distance eigenvalues.
A permutation sigma in Sn is a k-derangement if for any subset X = {a1, . . ., ak} \subseteq [n], {sigma(a1), . . ., sigma(ak)} is not equal to X. One can form the k-derangement graph on the set of permutations of Sn by connecting two permutations sigma and tau if sigma(tau)^-1 is a k-derangement. We characterize when such a graph is connected or Eulerian. For n an odd prime power, we determine the independence, clique and chromatic number of the 2-derangement graph.
Given a finite transitive permutation group $G\leq \operatorname{Sym}(Ω)$, with $|Ω|\geq 2$, the derangement graph $Γ_G$ of $G$ is the Cayley graph $\operatorname{Cay}(G,\operatorname{Der}(G))$, where $\operatorname{Der}(G)$ is the set of all derangements of $G$. Meagher et al. [On triangles in derangement graphs, {\it J. Combin. Theory Ser. A}, 180:105390, 2021] recently proved that $\operatorname{Sym}(2)$ acting on $\{1,2\}$ is the only transitive group whose derangement graph is bipartite and any transitive group of degree at least three has a triangle in its derangement graph. They also sh…
A derangement of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is an injective function $f:V\to V$ such that for all $v\in V$, $f(v)\neq v$ and $(v,f(v))\in E$. Not all graphs admit a derangement and previous results have characterized graphs with derangements using neighborhood conditions for subsets of $V$. We establish an alternative criterion for the existence of derangements on a graph. We analyze strict Nash equilibria of the biologically motivated Territorial Raider Game, a multi-player competition for resources in a spatially structured population based on animal raiding and defending behavior. We find that a gra…
We show that each perfect matching in a bipartite graph $G$ intersects at least half of the perfect matchings in $G$. This result has equivalent formulations in terms of the permanent of the adjacency matrix of a graph, and in terms of derangements and permutations on graphs. We give several related results and open questions.
Let $f: \{1, ..., n\} \rightarrow \{1, ..., n\}$ be a function (not necessarily one-to-one). An $f-derangement$ is a permutation $ g:\{1,...,n\} \rightarrow \{1,...,n\}$ such that $g(i) \neq f(i)$ for each $ i = 1, ..., n$. When $f$ is itself a permutation, this is a standard derangement. We examine properties of f-derangements, and show that when we fix the maximum number of preimages for any item under $f$, the fraction of permutations that are f-derangements tends to $ 1/e$ for large $n$, regardless of the choice of $f$. We then use this result to analyze a heuristic method to decompose bip…
We give a new recurrence formula for the eigenvalues of the derangement graph. Consequently, we provide a simpler proof of the Alternating Sign Property of the derangement graph. Moreover, we prove that the absolute value of the eigenvalue decreases whenever the corresponding partition decreases in the dominance order. In particular, this settles affirmatively a conjecture of Ku and Wales (J. of Combin. Theory, Series A 117 (2010) 289--312) regarding the lower and upper bound for the absolute values of these eigenvalues.
In previous work, we associated to any finite simple graph a particular set of derangements of its vertices. These derangements are in bijection with the spheres in the wedge sum describing the homotopy type of the boolean complex for this graph. Here we study the frequency with which a given derangement appears in this set.
We study the family of \emph{derangement action digraphs}, which are a subfamily of the group action graphs introduced in [Fred Annexstein, Marc Baumslag, and Arnold L. Rosenberg, Group action graphs and parallel architectures, \emph{SIAM J. Comput.} 19 (1990), no. 3, 544--569]. For any non-empty set $X$ and a non-empty subset $S$ of $\Der(X)$, the set of derangments of $X$, we define the derangement action digraph $\rm\overrightarrow{DA}(X;S)$ to have vertex set $X$, and an arc from $x$ to $y$ if and only if $y=x^s$ for some $s\in S$. In common with Cayley graphs and digraphs, derangement act…
The Eulerian polynomials and derangement polynomials are two well-studied generating functions that frequently arise in combinatorics, algebra, and geometry. When one makes an appearance, the other often does so as well, and their corresponding generalizations are similarly linked. This is this case in the theory of subdivisions of simplicial complexes, where the Eulerian polynomial is an $h$-polynomial and the derangement polynomial is its local $h$-polynomial. Separately, in Ehrhart theory the Eulerian polynomials are generalized by the $h^\ast$-polynomials of $s$-lecture hall simplices. Her…
A set $\mathcal{S}$ of derangements (fixed-point-free permutations) of a set $V$ generates a digraph with vertex set $V$ and arcs $(x,x^σ)$ for $x\in V$ and $σ\in\mathcal{S}$. We address the problem of characterising those infinite (simple loopless) digraphs which are generated by finite sets of derangements. The case of finite digraphs was addressed in earlier work by the second and third authors. A criterion is given for derangement generation which resembles the criterion given by De Bruijn and Erdős for vertex colourings of graphs in that the property for an infinite digraph is determined …
Given a permutation group $G$, the derangement graph $Γ_G$ of $G$ is the Cayley graph with connection set the set of all derangements of $G$. We prove that, when $G$ is transitive of degree at least $3$, $Γ_G$ contains a triangle. The motivation for this work is the question of how large can be the ratio of the independence number of $Γ_G$ to the size of the stabilizer of a point in $G$. We give examples of transitive groups where this ratio is maximum.
We consider the Cayley graph on the symmetric group Sn generated by derangements. It is well known that the eigenvalues of this grpah are indexed by partitions of n. We investigate how these eigenvalues are determined by the shape of their corresponding partitions. In particular, we show that the sign of an eigenvalue is the parity of the number of cells below the first row of the corresponding Ferrers diagram. We also provide some lower and upper bounds for the absolute values of these eigenvalues.
Let $A_n$ be the alternating group of even permutations of $X:=\{1,2,...,n\}$ and ${\mathcal E}_n$ the set of even derangements on $X.$ Denote by $A\T_n^q$ the tensor product of $q$ copies of $A\T_n,$ where the Cayley graph $A\T_n:=\T(A_n,{\mathcal E}_n)$ is called the even derangement graph. In this paper, we intensively investigate the properties of $A\T_n^q$ including connectedness, diameter, independence number, clique number, chromatic number and the maximum-size independent sets of $A\T_n^q.$ By using the result on the maximum-size independent sets $A\T_n^q$, we completely determine the …
In this paper we prove an Erdős-Ko-Rado-type theorem for intersecting sets of permutations. We show that an intersecting set of maximal size in the projective general linear group PGL(3,q), in its natural action on the points of the projective line, is either a coset of the stabilizer of a point or a coset of the stabilizer of a line.
Let G=PGL(2,q) be the projective general linear group acting on the projective line P_q. A subset S of G is intersecting if for any pair of permutations π,σin S, there is a projective point p in P_q such that p^π=p^σ. We prove that if S is intersecting, then the size of S is no more than q(q-1). Also, we prove that the only sets S that meet this bound are the cosets of the stabilizer of a point of P_q.
In this paper we consider the derangement graph for the group $\textrm{PSU}(3,q)$ where $q$ is a prime power. We calculate all eigenvalues for this derangement graph and use these eigenvalues to prove that $\textrm{PSU}(3,q)$ has the Erdős-Ko-Rado property and, provided that $q\neq 2, 5$, another property that we call the {\textsl Erdős-Ko-Rado module property}.
We construct and analyze an explicit basis for the homology of the boolean complex of a Coxeter system. This gives combinatorial meaning to the spheres in the wedge sum describing the homotopy type of the complex. We assign a set of derangements to any finite simple graph. For each derangement, we construct a corresponding element in the homology of the complex, and the collection of these elements forms a basis for the homology of the boolean complex. In this manner, the spheres in the wedge sum describing the homotopy type of the complex can be represented by a set of derangements. We give a…
In this paper we give a proof that the largest set of perfect matchings, in which any two contain a common edge, is the set of all perfect matchings that contain a fixed edge. This is a version of the famous Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem for perfect matchings. The proof given in this paper is algebraic, we first determine the least eigenvalue of the perfect matching derangement graph and use properties of the perfect matching polytope. We also prove that the perfect matching derangement graph is not a Cayley graph.
We introduce, and partially resolve, a conjecture that brings a three-centuries-old derangements phenomenon and its much younger two-decades-old analogue under the same umbrella. Through a graph-theoretic lens, a derangement is a perfect matching in the complete bipartite graph $K_{n,n}$ with a disjoint perfect matching $M$ removed. Likewise, a deranged matching is a perfect matching in the complete graph $K_{2n}$ minus a perfect matching $M'$. With $\mathrm{pm}(\cdot)$ counting perfect matchings, the elder phenomenon takes the form $\mathrm{pm}(K_{n,n}-M)/\mathrm{pm}(K_{n,n})\to 1/e$ as $n\to…
The Hall ratio of a graph G is the maximum of |V(H)|/alpha(H) over all subgraphs H of G. Clearly, the Hall ratio of a graph is a lower bound for the fractional chromatic number. It has been asked whether conversely, the fractional chromatic number is upper bounded by a function of the Hall ratio. We answer this question in negative, by showing two results of independent interest regarding 1-subdivisions (the 1-subdivision of a graph is obtained by subdividing each edge exactly once). * For every c > 0, every graph of sufficiently large average degree contains as a subgraph the 1-subdivision of…
The Hall ratio of a graph $G$ is the maximum value of $v(H) / α(H)$ taken over all non-null subgraphs $H$ of $G$. For any graph, the Hall ratio is a lower-bound on its fractional chromatic number. In this note, we present various constructions of graphs whose fractional chromatic number grows much faster than their Hall ratio. This refutes a conjecture of Harris.
This paper examines the one-to-one-to-one correspondence between threshold graphs, Betti numbers of quotients of polynomial rings by $2$-linear ideals, and anti-lecture hall compositions. In particular, we establish new explicit combinatorial mappings between each of these classes of objects and calculate the expected values of the Betti numbers and anti-lecture hall composition corresponding to a random threshold graph.
Cohen-Lenstra heuristics for Jacobians of random graphs give rise to random partitions. We connect these random partitions to the Hall-Littlewood polynomials of symmetric function theory, and use this connection to give combinatorial proofs of properties of these random partitions. In addition, we use Markov chains to give an algorithm for generating these partitions.
