Higher order matching polynomials and d-orthogonality

We show combinatorially that the higher-order matching polynomials of several families of graphs are d-orthogonal polynomials. The matching polynomial of a graph is a generating function for coverings of a graph by disjoint edges; the higher-order matching polynomial corresponds to coverings by paths. Several families of classical orthogonal polynomials -- the Chebyshev, Hermite, and Laguerre polynomials -- can be interpreted as matching polynomials of paths, cycles, complete graphs, and complete bipartite graphs. The notion of d-orthogonality is a generalization of the usual idea of orthogonality for polynomials and we use sign-reversing involutions to show that the higher-order Chebyshev (first and second kinds), Hermite, and Laguerre polynomials are d-orthogonal. We also investigate the moments and find generating functions of those polynomials.Comment: 21 pages, many TikZ figures; v2: minor clarifications and addition

C*-algebras associated to coverings of k-graphs

A covering of k-graphs (in the sense of Pask-Quigg-Raeburn) induces an embedding of universal C*-algebras. We show how to build a (k+1)-graph whose universal algebra encodes this embedding. More generally we show how to realise a direct limit of k-graph algebras under embeddings induced from coverings as the universal algebra of a (k+1)-graph. Our main focus is on computing the K-theory of the (k+1)-graph algebra from that of the component k-graph algebras. Examples of our construction include a realisation of the Kirchberg algebra \mathcal{P}_n whose K-theory is opposite to that of \mathcal{O}_n, and a class of AT-algebras that can naturally be regarded as higher-rank Bunce-Deddens algebras.Comment: 44 pages, 2 figures, some diagrams drawn using picTeX. v2. A number of typos corrected, some references updated. The statements of Theorem 6.7(2) and Corollary 6.8 slightly reworded for clarity. v3. Some references updated; in particular, theorem numbering of references to Evans updated to match published versio

Generalized two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory is a matrix string theory

We consider two-dimensional Yang-Mills theories on arbitrary Riemann surfaces. We introduce a generalized Yang-Mills action, which coincides with the ordinary one on flat surfaces but differs from it in its coupling to two-dimensional gravity. The quantization of this theory in the unitary gauge can be consistently performed taking into account all the topological sectors arising from the gauge-fixing procedure. The resulting theory is naturally interpreted as a Matrix String Theory, that is as a theory of covering maps from a two-dimensional world-sheet to the target Riemann surface.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, uses espcrc2.sty. Presented by A. D'adda at the Third Meeting on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity, Villasimius (Sardinia, Italy) September 13-17, 1999; to appear in the proceeding

Path coverings with prescribed ends in faulty hypercubes

We discuss the existence of vertex disjoint path coverings with prescribed ends for the $n$-dimensional hypercube with or without deleted vertices. Depending on the type of the set of deleted vertices and desired properties of the path coverings we establish the minimal integer $m$ such that for every $n \ge m$ such path coverings exist. Using some of these results, for $k \le 4$, we prove Locke's conjecture that a hypercube with $k$ deleted vertices of each parity is Hamiltonian if $n \ge k +2.$ Some of our lemmas substantially generalize known results of I. Havel and T. Dvo\v{r}\'{a}k. At the end of the paper we formulate some conjectures supported by our results.Comment: 26 page