In this paper we have shown without assuming the four color theorem of planar graphs that every (bridgeless) cubic planar graph has a three-edge-coloring. This is an old-conjecture due to Tait in the squeal of efforts in settling the four-color conjecture at the end of the 19th century. We have also shown the applicability of our method to another well-known three edge-coloring conjecture on cubic graphs. Namely Tutte's conjecture that "every 2-connected cubic graph with no Petersen minor is 3-edge colorable". Hence the conclusion of this paper implies another non-computer proof of the four color theorem by using spiral-chains in different context.
In this paper, we characterize the sigma-adequacy of a link diagram in two ways: in terms of a certain edge subset of its Tait graph and in terms of a certain product of Tutte polynomials. Furthermore, we show that the symmetrized Tutte polynomial of the Tait graph of a link diagram can be written as a sum of these products of Tutte polynomials, where the sum is over the sigma-adequate states of the given link diagram. Using this state sum, we show that the number of sigma-adequate states of a link diagram is bounded above by the number of spanning trees in its associated Tait graph. By combin…
We introduce the notions of arithmetic colorings and arithmetic flows over a graph with labelled edges, which generalize the notions of colorings and flows over a graph. We show that the corresponding arithmetic chromatic polynomial and arithmetic flow polynomial are given by suitable specializations of the associated arithmetic Tutte polynomial, generalizing classical results of Tutte.
We use SO(3) gauge theory to define a functor from a category of unoriented webs and foams to the category of finite-dimensional vector spaces over the field of two elements. We prove a non-vanishing theorem for this SO(3) instanton homology of webs, using Gabai's sutured manifold theory. It is hoped that the non-vanishing theorem may support a program to provide a new proof of the four-color theorem.
In 1999, at one of his last public lectures, Tutte discussed a question he had considered since the times of the Four Color Conjecture. He asked whether the 4-coloring complex of a planar triangulation could have two components in which all colorings had the same parity. In this note we answer Tutte's question to the contrary of his speculations by showing that there are triangulations of the plane whose coloring complexes have arbitrarily many even and odd components. We end up with a closely related conjecture, which is based on an extensive computation, and which claims that for every plana…
In this note we provide a higher-dimensional analogue of Tutte's celebrated theorem on colorings and flows of graphs, by showing that the theory of arithmetic Tutte polynomials and quasi-polynomials encompasses invariants defined for CW complexes by Beck-Breuer-Godkin-Martin and Duval-Klivans-Martin. Furthermore, we answer a question by Bajo-Burdick-Chmutov, concerning the modified Tutte-Krushkal-Renhardy polynomials defined by these authors: to this end, we prove that the product of two arithmetic multiplicity functions on a matroid is again an arithmetic multiplicity function.
We introduce the concept of a relative Tutte polynomial of colored graphs. We show that this relative Tutte polynomial can be computed in a way similar to the classical spanning tree expansion used by Tutte in his original paper on this subject. We then apply the relative Tutte polynomial to virtual knot theory. More specifically, we show that the Kauffman bracket polynomial (hence the Jones polynomial) of a virtual knot can be computed from the relative Tutte polynomial of its face (Tait) graph with some suitable variable substitutions. Our method offers an alternative to the ribbon graph app…
We introduce the ``trivariate Tutte polynomial" of a signed graph as an invariant of signed graphs up to vertex switching that contains among its evaluations the number of proper colorings and the number of nowhere-zero flows. In this, it parallels the Tutte polynomial of a graph, which contains the chromatic polynomial and flow polynomial as specializations. The number of nowhere-zero tensions (for signed graphs they are not simply related to proper colorings as they are for graphs) is given in terms of evaluations of the trivariate Tutte polynomial at two distinct points. Interestingly, the …
The Tutte polynomial is originally a bivariate polynomial which enumerates the colorings of a graph and of its dual graph. Ardila extended in 2007 the definition of the Tutte polynomial on the real hyperplane arrangements. He particularly computed the Tutte polynomials of the hyperplane arrangements associated to the classical Weyl groups. Those associated to the exceptional Weyl groups were computed by De Concini and Procesi one year later. This article has two objectives: On one side, we extend the Tutte polynomial computing to the complex hyperplane arrangements. On the other side, we intro…
Let $G$ be a connected general graph. Let $f\colon V(G)\to \Z^+$ be a function. We show that $G$ satisfies the Tutte-type condition \[ o(G-S)\le f(S)\qquad\text{for all vertex subsets $S$}, \] if and only if it contains a colored $J_f^*$-factor for any $2$-end-coloring, where $J_f^*(v)$ is the union of all odd integers smaller than $f(v)$ and the integer $f(v)$ itself. This is a generalization of the $(1,f)$-odd factor characterization theorem, and answers a problem of Cui and Kano. We also derive an analogous characterization for graphs of odd orders, which addresses a problem of Akiyama and …
The Tutte polynomial is originally a bivariate polynomial enumerating the colorings of a graph and of its dual graph. But it reveals more of the internal structure of the graph like its number of forests, of spanning subgraphs, and of acyclic orientations. In 2007, Ardila extended the notion of Tutte polynomial to the hyperplane arrangements, and computed the Tutte polynomials of the classical root systems for a certain prime power of the first variable. In this article, we compute Tutte polynomials of ideal arrangements. Those arrangements were introduced in 2006 by Sommers and Tymoczko, and …
Originally in 1954 the Tutte polynomial was a bivariate polynomial associated to a graph in order to enumerate the colorings of this graph and of its dual graph at the same time. However the Tutte polynomial reveals more of the internal structure of a graph, and contains even other specializations from other sciences like the Jones polynomial in Knot theory, the partition function of the Pott model in statistical physics, and the reliability polynomial in network theory. In this article, we study the Tutte polynomial associated to more general objects which are the arrangements of hyperplanes.…
In this chapter (Chapter V) we present several results which demonstrate a close connection and useful exchange of ideas between graph theory and knot theory. These disciplines were shown to be related from the time of Tait (if not Listing) but the great flow of ideas started only after Jones discoveries. The first deep relation in this new trend was demonstrated by Morwen Thistlethwaite and we describe several results by him in this Chapter. We also presentresults from two (unpublished) preprints [P-P-0,P-18].In particular, in Section 2, we sketch two generalizations of the Tutte polynomial o…
The paper characterizes $(2t+1)$-regular graphs with circular flow number $2 + \frac{2}{2t-1}$. For $t=1$ this is Tutte's characterization of cubic graphs with flow number 4. The class of cubic graphs is the only class of odd regular graphs where a flow number separates the class 1 graphs from the class 2 graphs. We finally state some conjectures and relate them to existing flow-conjectures.
We discuss conjectures on Hamiltonicity in cubic graphs (Tait, Barnette, Tutte), on the dichromatic number of planar oriented graphs (Neumann-Lara), and on even graphs in digraphs whose contraction is strongly connected (Hochstättler). We show that all of them fit into the same framework related to cuts in matchings. This allows us to find a counterexample to the conjecture of Hochstättler and show that the conjecture of Neumann-Lara holds for all planar graphs on at most 26 vertices. Finally, we state a new conjecture on bipartite cubic oriented graphs, that naturally arises in this setting.
Let $G$ be a finite group and $χ: G \rightarrow \mathbb{C}$ a class function. Let $H = (V,E)$ be a directed graph with for each vertex a cyclic order of the edges incident to it. The cyclic orders give a collection $F$ of faces of $H$. Define the partition function $P_χ(H) := \sum_{κ: E \rightarrow G}\prod_{v \in V}χ(κ(δ(v)))$, where $κ(δ(v))$ denotes the product of the $κ$-values of the edges incident with $v$ (in order), where the inverse is taken for any edge leaving $v$. Write $χ= \sum_λm_λχ_λ$, where the sum runs over irreducible representations $λ$ of $G$ with character $χ_λ$ and with $m…
A well-known result of Tutte says that if Gamma is an Abelian group and G is a graph having a nowhere-zero Gamma-flow, then G has a nowhere-zero Gamma'-flow for each Abelian group Gamma' whose order is at least the order of Gamma. Jaeger, Linial, Payan, and Tarsi observed that this does not extend to their more general concept of group connectivity. Motivated by this we define g(k) as the least number such that, if G is Gamma-connected for some Abelian group Gamma of order k, then G is also Gamma'-connected for every Abelian group Gamma' of order |Gamma'| > g(k). We prove that g(k) exists and …
We consider cell colorings of drawings of graphs in the plane. Given a multi-graph $G$ together with a drawing $Γ(G)$ in the plane with only finitely many crossings, we define a cell $k$-coloring of $Γ(G)$ to be a coloring of the maximal connected regions of the drawing, the cells, with $k$ colors such that adjacent cells have different colors. By the $4$-color theorem, every drawing of a bridgeless graph has a cell $4$-coloring. A drawing of a graph is cell $2$-colorable if and only if the underlying graph is Eulerian. We show that every graph without degree 1 vertices admits a cell $3$-color…
A bridgeless graph $G$ is called $3$-flow-critical if it does not admit a nowhere-zero $3$-flow, but $G/e$ has for any $e\in E(G)$. Tutte's $3$-flow conjecture can be equivalently stated as that every $3$-flow-critical graph contains a vertex of degree three. In this paper, we study the structure and extreme edge density of $3$-flow-critical graphs. We apply structure properties to obtain lower and upper bounds on the density of $3$-flow-critical graphs, that is, for any $3$-flow-critical graph $G$ on $n$ vertices, $$\frac{8n-2}{5}\le |E(G)|\le 4n-10,$$ where each equality holds if and only if…
