Zeta Functions of Finite Graphs and Coverings, Part II

AbstractGalois theory for normal unramified coverings of finite irregular graphs (which may have multiedges and loops) is developed. Using Galois theory we provide a construction of intermediate coverings which generalizes the classical Cayley and Schreier graph constructions. Three different analogues of Artin L-functions are attached to these coverings. These three types are based on vertex variables, edge variables, and path variables. Analogues of all the standard Artin L-functions results for number fields are proved here for all three types of L-functions. In particular, we obtain factorization formulas for the zeta functions introduced in Part I as a product of L-functions. It is shown that the path L-functions, which depend only on the rank of the graph, can be specialized to give the edge L-functions, and these in turn can be specialized to give the vertex L-functions. The method of Bass is used to show that Ihara type quadratic formulas hold for vertex L-functions. Finally, we use the theory to give examples of two regular graphs (without multiple edges or loops) having the same vertex zeta functions. These graphs are also isospectral but not isomorphic

Generalized characteristic polynomials of graph bundles

In this paper, we find computational formulae for generalized characteristic polynomials of graph bundles. We show that the number of spanning trees in a graph is the partial derivative (at (0,1)) of the generalized characteristic polynomial of the graph. Since the reciprocal of the Bartholdi zeta function of a graph can be derived from the generalized characteristic polynomial of a graph, consequently, the Bartholdi zeta function of a graph bundle can be computed by using our computational formulae

The Zeta Function of a Hypergraph

We generalize the Ihara-Selberg zeta function to hypergraphs in a natural way. Hashimoto's factorization results for biregular bipartite graphs apply, leading to exact factorizations. For $(d,r)$-regular hypergraphs, we show that a modified Riemann hypothesis is true if and only if the hypergraph is Ramanujan in the sense of Winnie Li and Patrick Sol\'e. Finally, we give an example to show how the generalized zeta function can be applied to graphs to distinguish non-isomorphic graphs with the same Ihara-Selberg zeta function.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure

Ihara's zeta function for periodic graphs and its approximation in the amenable case

In this paper, we give a more direct proof of the results by Clair and Mokhtari-Sharghi on the zeta functions of periodic graphs. In particular, using appropriate operator-algebraic techniques, we establish a determinant formula in this context and examine its consequences for the Ihara zeta function. Moreover, we answer in the affirmative one of the questions raised by Grigorchuk and Zuk. Accordingly, we show that the zeta function of a periodic graph with an amenable group action is the limit of the zeta functions of a suitable sequence of finite subgraphs.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure