A single exponential bound for the redundant vertex Theorem on surfaces

Let s1, t1,. . . sk, tk be vertices in a graph G embedded on a surface \sigma of genus g. A vertex v of G is "redundant" if there exist k vertex disjoint paths linking si and ti (1 \lequal i \lequal k) in G if and only if such paths also exist in G - v. Robertson and Seymour proved in Graph Minors VII that if v is "far" from the vertices si and tj and v is surrounded in a planar part of \sigma by l(g, k) disjoint cycles, then v is redundant. Unfortunately, their proof of the existence of l(g, k) is not constructive. In this paper, we give an explicit single exponential bound in g and k

The Z2\mathbb{Z}_2-genus of Kuratowski minors

A drawing of a graph on a surface is independently even if every pair of nonadjacent edges in the drawing crosses an even number of times. The $\mathbb{Z}_2$-genus of a graph $G$ is the minimum $g$ such that $G$ has an independently even drawing on the orientable surface of genus $g$. An unpublished result by Robertson and Seymour implies that for every $t$, every graph of sufficiently large genus contains as a minor a projective $t\times t$ grid or one of the following so-called $t$-Kuratowski graphs: $K_{3,t}$, or $t$ copies of $K_5$ or $K_{3,3}$ sharing at most $2$ common vertices. We show that the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-genus of graphs in these families is unbounded in $t$; in fact, equal to their genus. Together, this implies that the genus of a graph is bounded from above by a function of its $\mathbb{Z}_2$-genus, solving a problem posed by Schaefer and \v{S}tefankovi\v{c}, and giving an approximate version of the Hanani-Tutte theorem on orientable surfaces. We also obtain an analogous result for Euler genus and Euler $\mathbb{Z}_2$-genus of graphs.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures; a few references added and correcte