42 research outputs found
Even circuits of prescribed clockwise parity
We show that a graph has an orientation under which every circuit of even
length is clockwise odd if and only if the graph contains no subgraph which is,
after the contraction of at most one circuit of odd length, an even subdivision
of K_{2,3}. In fact we give a more general characterisation of graphs that have
an orientation under which every even circuit has a prescribed clockwise
parity. This problem was motivated by the study of Pfaffian graphs, which are
the graphs that have an orientation under which every alternating circuit is
clockwise odd. Their significance is that they are precisely the graphs to
which Kasteleyn's powerful method for enumerating perfect matchings may be
applied
Cyclewidth and the Grid Theorem for Perfect Matching Width of Bipartite Graphs
A connected graph G is called matching covered if every edge of G is
contained in a perfect matching. Perfect matching width is a width parameter
for matching covered graphs based on a branch decomposition. It was introduced
by Norine and intended as a tool for the structural study of matching covered
graphs, especially in the context of Pfaffian orientations. Norine conjectured
that graphs of high perfect matching width would contain a large grid as a
matching minor, similar to the result on treewidth by Robertson and Seymour. In
this paper we obtain the first results on perfect matching width since its
introduction. For the restricted case of bipartite graphs, we show that perfect
matching width is equivalent to directed treewidth and thus the Directed Grid
Theorem by Kawarabayashi and Kreutzer for directed \treewidth implies Norine's
conjecture.Comment: Manuscrip
Pfaffian Correlation Functions of Planar Dimer Covers
The Pfaffian structure of the boundary monomer correlation functions in the
dimer-covering planar graph models is rederived through a combinatorial /
topological argument. These functions are then extended into a larger family of
order-disorder correlation functions which are shown to exhibit Pfaffian
structure throughout the bulk. Key tools involve combinatorial switching
symmetries which are identified through the loop-gas representation of the
double dimer model, and topological implications of planarity.Comment: Revised figures; corrected misprint
Nash equilibria, gale strings, and perfect matchings
This thesis concerns the problem 2-NASH of ļ¬nding a Nash equilibrium of a bimatrix
game, for the special class of so-called āhard-to-solveā bimatrix games. The term āhardto-solveā relates to the exponential running time of the famous and often used Lemkeā
Howson algorithm for this class of games. The games are constructed with the help of
dual cyclic polytopes, where the algorithm can be expressed combinatorially via labeled
bitstrings deļ¬ned by the āGale evenness conditionā that characterise the vertices of these
polytopes.
We deļ¬ne the combinatorial problem āAnother completely labeled Gale stringā whose
solutions deļ¬ne the Nash equilibria of any game deļ¬ned by cyclic polytopes, including
the games where the LemkeāHowson algorithm takes exponential time. We show that
āAnother completely labeled Gale stringā is solvable in polynomial time by a reduction to
the āPerfect matchingā problem in Euler graphs. We adapt the LemkeāHowson algorithm
to pivot from one perfect matching to another and show that again for a certain class
of graphs this leads to exponential behaviour. Furthermore, we prove that completely
labeled Gale strings and perfect matchings in Euler graphs come in pairs and that the
LemkeāHowson algorithm connects two strings or matchings of opposite signs.
The equivalence between Nash Equilibria of bimatrix games derived from cyclic polytopes, completely labeled Gale strings, and perfect matchings in Euler Graphs implies that
counting Nash equilibria is #P-complete. Although one Nash equilibrium can be computed in polynomial time, we have not succeeded in ļ¬nding an algorithm that computes
a Nash equilibrium of opposite sign. However, we solve this problem for certain special cases, for example planar graphs. We illustrate the difļ¬culties concerning a general
polynomial-time algorithm for this problem by means of negative results that demonstrate
why a number of approaches towards such an algorithm are unlikely to be successful