6,731 research outputs found
A Penrose polynomial for embedded graphs
We extend the Penrose polynomial, originally defined only for plane graphs,
to graphs embedded in arbitrary surfaces. Considering this Penrose polynomial
of embedded graphs leads to new identities and relations for the Penrose
polynomial which can not be realized within the class of plane graphs. In
particular, by exploiting connections with the transition polynomial and the
ribbon group action, we find a deletion-contraction-type relation for the
Penrose polynomial. We relate the Penrose polynomial of an orientable
checkerboard colourable graph to the circuit partition polynomial of its medial
graph and use this to find new combinatorial interpretations of the Penrose
polynomial. We also show that the Penrose polynomial of a plane graph G can be
expressed as a sum of chromatic polynomials of twisted duals of G. This allows
us to obtain a new reformulation of the Four Colour Theorem
An elementary chromatic reduction for gain graphs and special hyperplane arrangements
A gain graph is a graph whose edges are labelled invertibly by "gains" from a
group. "Switching" is a transformation of gain graphs that generalizes
conjugation in a group. A "weak chromatic function" of gain graphs with gains
in a fixed group satisfies three laws: deletion-contraction for links with
neutral gain, invariance under switching, and nullity on graphs with a neutral
loop. The laws lead to the "weak chromatic group" of gain graphs, which is the
universal domain for weak chromatic functions. We find expressions, valid in
that group, for a gain graph in terms of minors without neutral-gain edges, or
with added complete neutral-gain subgraphs, that generalize the expression of
an ordinary chromatic polynomial in terms of monomials or falling factorials.
These expressions imply relations for chromatic functions of gain graphs.
We apply our relations to some special integral gain graphs including those
that correspond to the Shi, Linial, and Catalan arrangements, thereby obtaining
new evaluations of and new ways to calculate the zero-free chromatic polynomial
and the integral and modular chromatic functions of these gain graphs, hence
the characteristic polynomials and hypercubical lattice-point counting
functions of the arrangements. We also calculate the total chromatic polynomial
of any gain graph and especially of the Catalan, Shi, and Linial gain graphs.Comment: 31 page
The chromatic polynomial of fatgraphs and its categorification
Motivated by Khovanov homology and relations between the Jones polynomial and
graph polynomials, we construct a homology theory for embedded graphs from
which the chromatic polynomial can be recovered as the Euler characteristic.
For plane graphs, we show that our chromatic homology can be recovered from the
Khovanov homology of an associated link. We apply this connection with Khovanov
homology to show that the torsion-free part of our chromatic homology is
independent of the choice of planar embedding of a graph.
We extend our construction and categorify the Bollobas-Riordan polynomial (a
generalisation of the Tutte polynomial to embedded graphs). We prove that both
our chromatic homology and the Khovanov homology of an associated link can be
recovered from this categorification.Comment: A substantial revision. To appear in Advances in Mathematic
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