A bar-joint framework $(G,p)$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is rigid if the only edge-length preserving continuous motions of the vertices arise from isometries of $\mathbb{R}^d$. It is known that, when $(G,p)$ is generic, its rigidity depends only on the underlying graph $G$, and is determined by the rank of the edge set of $G$ in the generic $d$-dimensional rigidity matroid $\mathcal{R}_d$. Complete combinatorial descriptions of the rank function of this matroid are known when $d=1,2$, and imply that all circuits in $\mathcal{R}_d$ are generically rigid in $\mathbb{R}^d$ when $d=1,2$. Determining the rank function of $\mathcal{R}_d$ is a long standing open problem when $d\geq 3$, and the existence of non-rigid circuits in $\mathcal{R}_d$ for $d\geq 3$ is a major contributing factor to why this problem is so difficult. We begin a study of non-rigid circuits by characterising the non-rigid circuits in $\mathcal{R}_d$ which have at most $d+6$ vertices.
In this note we prove a lower bound for the rank of 2-dimensional generic rigidity matroid for regular graphs of degree four and five. Also, we give examples to show the order of the bound we give is sharp.
Combinatorial rigidity theory seeks to describe the rigidity or flexibility of bar-joint frameworks in R^d in terms of the structure of the underlying graph G. The goal of this article is to broaden the foundations of combinatorial rigidity theory by replacing G with an arbitrary representable matroid M. The ideas of rigidity independence and parallel independence, as well as Laman's and Recski's combinatorial characterizations of 2-dimensional rigidity for graphs, can naturally be extended to this winder setting. As we explain, many of these fundamental concepts really depend only on the matr…
We showed in the first paper of this series that the generic $C_2^1$-cofactor matroid is the unique maximal abstract $3$-rigidity matroid. In this paper we obtain a combinatorial characterization of independence in this matroid. This solves the cofactor counterpart of the combinatorial characterization problem for the rigidity of generic 3-dimensional bar-joint frameworks. We use our characterization to verify that the counterparts of conjectures of Dress (on the rank function) and Lovász and Yemini (which suggested a sufficient connectivity condition for rigidity) hold for this matroid.
This note contributes to the structure theory of abstract rigidity matroids in general dimension. In the spirit of classical matroid theory, we prove several cryptomorphic characterizations of abstract rigidity matroids (in terms of circuits, cocircuits, bases, hyperplanes). Moreover, the study of hyperplanes in abstract rigidity matroids leads us to state (and support with significant evidence) a conjecture about characterizing the class of abstract rigidity matroids by means of certain "prescribed substructures". We then prove a recursive version of this conjecture.
We prove that the linear matroid that defines generic rigidity of $d$-dimensional body-rod-bar frameworks (i.e., structures consisting of disjoint bodies and rods mutually linked by bars) can be obtained from the union of ${d+1 \choose 2}$ graphic matroids by applying variants of Dilworth truncation $n_r$ times, where $n_r$ denotes the number of rods. This leads to an alternative proof of Tay's combinatorial characterizations of generic rigidity of rod-bar frameworks and that of identified body-hinge frameworks.
A conjecture of Graver from 1991 states that the generic $3$-dimensional rigidity matroid is the unique maximal abstract $3$-rigidity matroid with respect to the weak order on matroids. Based on a close similarity between the generic $d$-dimensional rigidity matroid and the generic $C_{d-2}^{d-1}$-cofactor matroid from approximation theory, Whiteley made an analogous conjecture in 1996 that the generic $C_{d-2}^{d-1}$-cofactor matroid is the unique maximal abstract $d$-rigidity matroid for all $d\geq 2$. We verify the case $d=3$ of Whiteley's conjecture in this paper. A key step in our proof i…
As an extension of a classical tree-partition problem, we consider decompositions of graphs into edge-disjoint (rooted-)trees with an additional matroid constraint. Specifically, suppose we are given a graph $G=(V,E)$, a multiset $R=\{r1,..., r_t\}$ of vertices in $V$, and a matroid ${\cal M}$ on $R$. We prove a necessary and sufficient condition for $G$ to be decomposed into $t$ edge-disjoint subgraphs $G_1=(V_1,T_1),..., G_t=(V_t,T_t)$ such that (i) for each $i$, $G_i$ is a tree with $r_i\in V_i$, and (ii) for each $v\in V$, the multiset $\{r_i\in R\mid v\in V_i\}$ is a base of ${\cal M}$. I…
Motivated by a rigidity-theoretic perspective on the Localization Problem in 2D, we develop an algorithm for computing circuit polynomials in the algebraic rigidity matroid associated to the Cayley-Menger ideal for $n$ points in 2D. We introduce combinatorial resultants, a new operation on graphs that captures properties of the Sylvester resultant of two polynomials in the algebraic rigidity matroid. We show that every rigidity circuit has a construction tree from $K_4$ graphs based on this operation. Our algorithm performs an algebraic elimination guided by the construction tree, and uses cla…
We show that, for points along the moment curve, the bar-and-joint rigidity matroid and the hyperconnectivity matroid coincide, and that both coincide with the $C^{d-2}_{d-1}$-cofactor rigidity of points along any (non-degenerate) conic in the plane. For hyperconnectivity in dimension two, having the points in the moment curve is no loss of generality. We also show that, restricted to bipartite graphs, the bar-and-joint rigidity matroid is freer than the hyperconnectivity matroid.
A two-dimensional direction-length framework $(G,p)$ consists of a multigraph $G=(V;D,L)$ whose edge set is formed of "direction" edges $D$ and "length" edges $L$, and a realisation $p$ of this graph in the plane. The edges of the framework represent geometric constraints: length edges fix the distance between their endvertices, whereas direction edges specify the gradient of the line through both endvertices. A direction-length framework $(G,p)$ is globally rigid if every framework $(G,q)$ which satisfies the same direction and length constraints as $(G,p)$ can be obtained by translating $(G,…
We develop a rigidity theory for bar-joint frameworks in Euclidean $d$-space in which specified classes of edges are allowed to change length in a coordinated fashion that requires differences of lengths to be preserved within each class. Rigidity for these coordinated frameworks is a generic property, and we characterize the rigid graphs in terms of redundant rigidity in the standard $d$-dimensional rigidity matroid. We also interpret our main results in terms of matroid unions.
We develop a combinatorial rigidity theory for symmetric bar-joint frameworks in a general finite dimensional normed space. In the case of rotational symmetry, matroidal Maxwell-type sparsity counts are identified for a large class of $d$-dimensional normed spaces (including all $\ell^p$ spaces with $p\not=2$). Complete combinatorial characterisations are obtained for half-turn rotation in the $\ell^1$ and $\ell^\infty$-plane. As a key tool, a new Henneberg-type inductive construction is developed for the matroidal class of $(2,2,0)$-gain-tight graphs.
We characterize the combinatorial types of symmetric frameworks in the plane that are minimally generically symmetry-forced infinitesimally rigid when the symmetry group consists of rotations and translations. Along the way, we use tropical geometry to show how a construction of Edmonds that associates a matroid to a submodular function can be used to give a description of the algebraic matroid of a Hadamard product of two linear spaces in terms of the matroids of each linear space. This leads to new, short, proofs of Laman's theorem, and a theorem of Jord{á}n, Kaszanitzky, and Tanigawa, and M…
A bar-joint framework $(G,p)$ is the combination of a graph $G$ and a map $p$ assigning positions, in some space, to the vertices of $G$. The framework is rigid if every edge-length-preserving continuous motion of the vertices arises from an isometry of the space. We will analyse rigidity when the space is a (non-Euclidean) normed plane and two designated vertices are mapped to the same position. This non-genericity assumption leads us to a count matroid first introduced by Jackson, Kaszanitsky and the third author. We show that independence in this matroid is equivalent to independence as a s…
Rigidity and reconstruction in matroids of highly connected graphs
HUN-REN-ELTE Egerváry Research Group on Combinatorial Optimization and the MTA-ELTE Momentum Matroid Optimization Research Group（匈牙利研究与教育网络-厄特沃什·罗兰大学埃格瓦里组合优化研究组和匈牙利科学院-厄特沃什·罗兰大学动量拟阵优化研究组）；HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics（匈牙利研究与教育网络阿尔弗雷德·雷尼数学研究所）
We show that a generic framework $(G,p)$ on the cylinder is globally rigid if and only if $G$ is a complete graph on at most four vertices or $G$ is both redundantly rigid and $2$-connected. To prove the theorem we also derive a new recursive construction of circuits in the simple $(2,2)$-sparse matroid, and a characterisation of rigidity for generic frameworks on the cylinder when a single designated vertex is allowed to move off the cylinder.
Sufficient conditions for bipartite rigidity, symmetric completability and hyperconnectivity of graphs
HUN-REN-ELTE Egerváry Research Group on Combinatorial Optimization（匈牙利研究与创新网络-罗兰大学埃格瓦里组合优化研究组）；Queen Mary University of London（伦敦玛丽女王大学）；Department of Operations Research, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University（罗兰大学运营系）
Given a mixed hypergraph $\mathcal{F}=(V,\mathcal{A}\cup \mathcal{E})$, functions $f,g:V\rightarrow \mathbb{Z}_+$ and an integer $k$, a packing of $k$ spanning mixed hyperarborescences is called $(k,f,g)$-flexible if every $v \in V$ is the root of at least $f(v)$ and at most $g(v)$ of the mixed hyperarborescences. We give a characterization of the mixed hypergraphs admitting such packings. This generalizes results of Frank and, more recently, Gao and Yang. Our approach is based on matroid intersection, generalizing a construction of Edmonds. We also obtain an algorithm for finding a minimum we…
A rigidity theory is developed for bar-joint frameworks in linear matrix spaces endowed with a unitarily invariant norm. Analogues of Maxwell's counting criteria are obtained and minimally rigid matrix frameworks are shown to belong to the matroidal class of (k,l)-sparse graphs for suitable k and l. A characterisation of infinitesimal rigidity is obtained for product norms and it is shown that K_6 - e (respectively, K_7) is the smallest minimally rigid graph for the class of 2 x 2 symmetric (respectively, hermitian) matrices with the trace norm.
Rank Contributions of Vertices in Rigidity Matroids of Clique Covered Graphs
Queen Mary University of London（伦敦大学玛丽女王学院）；HUN-REN-ELTE Egerváry Research Group on Combinatorial Optimization（匈牙利研究与教育网络-罗兰大学组合优化Egerváry研究组）；Department of Operations Research, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University（罗兰大学运筹学系）
We study the bar-and-joint frameworks in $\mathbb{R}^2$ such that some vertices are constrained to lie on some lines. The generic rigidity of such frameworks is characterised by Streinu and Theran (2010). Katoh and Tanigawa (2013) remarked that the corresponding matroid and its rank function can be characterised by using a submodular function. In this paper, we will transfer this characterisation of the rank function to the form of the value of a ``1-thin cover" and obtain a sufficient connectivity condition for rigidity and global rigidity of these frameworks analogous to the results of Lovás…
A linearly constrained framework in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is a point configuration together with a system of constraints which fixes the distances between some pairs of points and additionally restricts some of the points to lie in given affine subspaces. It is globally rigid if the configuration is uniquely defined by the constraint system, and is rigid if it is uniquely defined within some small open neighbourhood. Streinu and Theran characterised generic rigidity of linearly constrained frameworks in $\mathbb{R}^2$ in 2010. We obtain an analagous characterisation for generic global rigidity in $\m…
This paper studies the properties of two kinds of matroids: (a) algebraic matroids and (b) finite and infinite matroids whose ground set have some canonical symmetry, for example row and column symmetry and transposition symmetry. For (a) algebraic matroids, we expose cryptomorphisms making them accessible to techniques from commutative algebra. This allows us to introduce for each circuit in an algebraic matroid an invariant called circuit polynomial, generalizing the minimal poly- nomial in classical Galois theory, and studying the matroid structure with multivariate methods. For (b) matroid…
Given a matroid together with a coloring of its ground set, a subset of its elements is called rainbow colored if no two of its elements have the same color. We show that if a binary matroid of rank $r$ is colored with exactly $r$ colors, then $M$ either contains a rainbow colored circuit or a monochromatic cut. As the class of binary matroids is closed under taking duals, this immediately implies that if $M$ is colored with exactly $n-r$ colors, then $M$ either contains a rainbow colored cut or a monochromatic circuit. As a byproduct, we give a characterization of binary matroids in terms of …
The mathematical theory of rigidity of body-bar and body-hinge frameworks provides a useful tool for analyzing the rigidity and flexibility of many articulated structures appearing in engineering, robotics and biochemistry. In this paper we develop a symmetric extension of this theory which permits a rigidity analysis of body-bar and body-hinge structures with point group symmetries. The infinitesimal rigidity of body-bar frameworks can naturally be formulated in the language of the exterior (or Grassmann) algebra. Using this algebraic formulation, we derive symmetry-adapted rigidity matrices …
In this paper, we define the notion of rigidity for linear electrical multiports and for matroid pairs. We show the parallel between the two and study the consequences of this parallel. We present applications to testing, using purely matroidal methods, whether a connection of rigid multiports yields a linear network with unique solution. We also indicate that rigidity can be regarded as the closest notion to duality that can be hoped for, when the spaces correspond to different physical constraints, such as topological and device characteristic. A multiport is an ordered pair $(\V^1_{AB},\A^2…
A bar-and-joint framework is a finite set of points together with specified distances between selected pairs. In rigidity theory we seek to understand when the remaining pairwise distances are also fixed. If there exists a pair of points which move relative to one another while maintaining the given distance constraints, the framework is flexible; otherwise, it is rigid. Counting conditions due to Maxwell give a necessary combinatorial criterion for generic minimal bar-and-joint rigidity in all dimensions. Laman showed that these conditions are also sufficient for frameworks in R^2. However, t…
This paper presents a deterministic, strongly polynomial time algorithm for computing the matrix rank for a class of symbolic matrices (whose entries are polynomials over a field). This class was introduced, in a different language, by Lovász [Lov] in his study of flats in matroids, and proved a duality theorem putting this problem in $NP \cap coNP$. As such, our result is another demonstration where ``good characterization'' in the sense of Edmonds leads to an efficient algorithm. In a different paper Lovász [Lov79] proved that all such symbolic rank problems have efficient probabilistic algo…
Suppose that you add rigid bars between points in the plane, and suppose that a constant fraction $q$ of the points moves freely in the whole plane; the remaining fraction is constrained to move on fixed lines called sliders. When does a giant rigid cluster emerge? Under a genericity condition, the answer only depends on the graph formed by the points (vertices) and the bars (edges). We find for the random graph $G \in \mathcal{G}(n,c/n)$ the threshold value of $c$ for the appearance of a linear-sized rigid component as a function of $q$, generalizing results of Kasiviswanathan et al. We show …
A d-dimensional framework is a graph and a map from its vertices to E^d. Such a framework is globally rigid if it is the only framework in E^d with the same graph and edge lengths, up to rigid motions. For which underlying graphs is a generic framework globally rigid? We answer this question by proving a conjecture by Connelly, that his sufficient condition is also necessary: a generic framework is globally rigid if and only if it has a stress matrix with kernel of dimension d+1, the minimum possible. An alternate version of the condition comes from considering the geometry of the length-squar…
