The graph bottleneck identity

A matrix $S=(s_{ij})\in{\mathbb R}^{n\times n}$ is said to determine a \emph{transitional measure} for a digraph $G$ on $n$ vertices if for all $i,j,k\in\{1,\...,n\},$ the \emph{transition inequality} $s_{ij} s_{jk}\le s_{ik} s_{jj}$ holds and reduces to the equality (called the \emph{graph bottleneck identity}) if and only if every path in $G$ from $i$ to $k$ contains $j$. We show that every positive transitional measure produces a distance by means of a logarithmic transformation. Moreover, the resulting distance $d(\cdot,\cdot)$ is \emph{graph-geodetic}, that is, $d(i,j)+d(j,k)=d(i,k)$ holds if and only if every path in $G$ connecting $i$ and $k$ contains $j$. Five types of matrices that determine transitional measures for a digraph are considered, namely, the matrices of path weights, connection reliabilities, route weights, and the weights of in-forests and out-forests. The results obtained have undirected counterparts. In [P. Chebotarev, A class of graph-geodetic distances generalizing the shortest-path and the resistance distances, Discrete Appl. Math., URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dam.2010.11.017] the present approach is used to fill the gap between the shortest path distance and the resistance distance.Comment: 12 pages, 18 references. Advances in Applied Mathematic

Cuts and flows of cell complexes

We study the vector spaces and integer lattices of cuts and flows associated with an arbitrary finite CW complex, and their relationships to group invariants including the critical group of a complex. Our results extend to higher dimension the theory of cuts and flows in graphs, most notably the work of Bacher, de la Harpe and Nagnibeda. We construct explicit bases for the cut and flow spaces, interpret their coefficients topologically, and give sufficient conditions for them to be integral bases of the cut and flow lattices. Second, we determine the precise relationships between the discriminant groups of the cut and flow lattices and the higher critical and cocritical groups with error terms corresponding to torsion (co)homology. As an application, we generalize a result of Kotani and Sunada to give bounds for the complexity, girth, and connectivity of a complex in terms of Hermite's constant.Comment: 30 pages. Final version, to appear in Journal of Algebraic Combinatoric

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

Matrix tree theorem for Schrödinger operators on networks

Postprint (published version

Exact computation of heat capacities for active particles on a graph

The notion of a nonequilibrium heat capacity is important for bio-energetics and for calorimetry of active materials more generally. It centers around the notion of excess heat or excess work dissipated during a quasistatic relaxation between different nonequilibrium conditions. We give exact results for active random walks moving in an energy landscape on a graph, based on calculations employing the matrix-tree and matrix-forest theorems. That graphical method applies to any Markov jump process under the physical condition of local detailed balance, and is not restricted to the examples given in this paper.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure