The multivariate arithmetic Tutte polynomial

We introduce an arithmetic version of the multivariate Tutte polynomial, and (for representable arithmetic matroids) a quasi-polynomial that interpolates between the two. A generalized Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation with applications to arithmetic colorings and flows is obtained. We give a new and more general proof of the positivity of the coefficients of the arithmetic Tutte polynomial, and (in the representable case) a geometrical interpretation of them.Comment: 21 page

The multivariate arithmetic Tutte polynomial

We introduce an arithmetic version of the multivariate Tutte polynomial recently studied by Sokal, and a quasi-polynomial that interpolates between the two. We provide a generalized Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation for representable arithmetic matroids, with applications to arithmetic colorings and flows. We give a new proof of the positivity of the coefficients of the arithmetic Tutte polynomial in the more general framework of pseudo-arithmetic matroids. In the case of a representable arithmetic matroid, we provide a geometric interpretation of the coefficients of the arithmetic Tutte polynomial. \ua9 2012 Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DMTCS), Nancy, France

Arithmetic matroids and Tutte polynomials

We introduce the notion of arithmetic matroid, whose main example is provided by a list of elements in a finitely generated abelian group. We study the representability of its dual, and, guided by the geometry of toric arrangements, we give a combinatorial interpretation of the associated arithmetic Tutte polynomial, which can be seen as a generalization of Crapo's formula

The multivariate arithmetic Tutte polynomial

We introduce an arithmetic version of the multivariate Tutte polynomial recently studied by Sokal, and a quasi-polynomial that interpolates between the two. We provide a generalized Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation for representable arithmetic matroids, with applications to arithmetic colorings and flows. We give a new proof of the positivity of the coefficients of the arithmetic Tutte polynomial in the more general framework of pseudo-arithmetic matroids. In the case of a representable arithmetic matroid, we provide a geometric interpretation of the coefficients of the arithmetic Tutte polynomial

Arithmetic matroids and Tutte polynomials

We introduce the notion of arithmetic matroid, whose main example is provided by a list of elements in a finitely generated abelian group. We study the representability of its dual, and, guided by the geometry of toric arrangements, we give a combinatorial interpretation of the associated arithmetic Tutte polynomial, which can be seen as a generalization of Crapo's formula

Matroids over a ring

We introduce the notion of a matroid $M$ over a commutative ring $R$, assigning to every subset of the ground set an $R$-module according to some axioms. When $R$ is a field, we recover matroids. When $R=\mathbb{Z}$, and when $R$ is a DVR, we get (structures which contain all the data of) quasi-arithmetic matroids, and valuated matroids, respectively. More generally, whenever $R$ is a Dedekind domain, we extend the usual properties and operations holding for matroids (e.g., duality), and we compute the Tutte-Grothendieck group of matroids over $R$

Enumerating Colorings, Tensions and Flows in Cell Complexes

We study quasipolynomials enumerating proper colorings, nowhere-zero tensions, and nowhere-zero flows in an arbitrary CW-complex $X$, generalizing the chromatic, tension and flow polynomials of a graph. Our colorings, tensions and flows may be either modular (with values in $\mathbb{Z}/k\mathbb{Z}$ for some $k$) or integral (with values in $\{-k+1,\dots,k-1\}$). We obtain deletion-contraction recurrences and closed formulas for the chromatic, tension and flow quasipolynomials, assuming certain unimodularity conditions. We use geometric methods, specifically Ehrhart theory and inside-out polytopes, to obtain reciprocity theorems for all of the aforementioned quasipolynomials, giving combinatorial interpretations of their values at negative integers as well as formulas for the numbers of acyclic and totally cyclic orientations of $X$.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figures. Final version, to appear in J. Combin. Theory Series

Simplicial and Cellular Trees

Much information about a graph can be obtained by studying its spanning trees. On the other hand, a graph can be regarded as a 1-dimensional cell complex, raising the question of developing a theory of trees in higher dimension. As observed first by Bolker, Kalai and Adin, and more recently by numerous authors, the fundamental topological properties of a tree --- namely acyclicity and connectedness --- can be generalized to arbitrary dimension as the vanishing of certain cellular homology groups. This point of view is consistent with the matroid-theoretic approach to graphs, and yields higher-dimensional analogues of classical enumerative results including Cayley's formula and the matrix-tree theorem. A subtlety of the higher-dimensional case is that enumeration must account for the possibility of torsion homology in trees, which is always trivial for graphs. Cellular trees are the starting point for further high-dimensional extensions of concepts from algebraic graph theory including the critical group, cut and flow spaces, and discrete dynamical systems such as the abelian sandpile model.Comment: 39 pages (including 5-page bibliography); 5 figures. Chapter for forthcoming IMA volume "Recent Trends in Combinatorics