There are only a finite number of excluded minors for the class of bicircular matroids

We show that the class of bicircular matroids has only a finite number of excluded minors. Key tools used in our proof include representations of matroids by biased graphs and the recently introduced class of quasi-graphic matroids. We show that if $N$ is an excluded minor of rank at least ten, then $N$ is quasi-graphic. Several small excluded minors are quasi-graphic. Using biased-graphic representations, we find that $N$ already contains one of these. We also provide an upper bound, in terms of rank, on the number of elements in an excluded minor, so the result follows.Comment: Added an appendix describing all known excluded minors. Added Gordon Royle as author. Some proofs revised and correcte

Q(sqrt(-3))-Integral Points on a Mordell Curve

We use an extension of quadratic Chabauty to number fields,recently developed by the author with Balakrishnan, Besser and M ̈uller,combined with a sieving technique, to determine the integral points overQ(√−3) on the Mordell curve y2 = x3 − 4

From Classical to Quantum Secret Sharing

Dans ce mémoire, nous nous pencherons tout particulièrement sur une primitive cryptographique connue sous le nom de partage de secret. Nous explorerons autant le domaine classique que le domaine quantique de ces primitives, couronnant notre étude par la présentation d’un nouveau protocole de partage de secret quantique nécessitant un nombre minimal de parts quantiques c.-à-d. une seule part quantique par participant. L’ouverture de notre étude se fera par la présentation dans le chapitre préliminaire d’un survol des notions mathématiques sous-jacentes à la théorie de l’information quantique ayant pour but primaire d’établir la notation utilisée dans ce manuscrit, ainsi que la présentation d’un précis des propriétés mathématique de l’état de Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) fréquemment utilisé dans les domaines quantiques de la cryptographie et des jeux de la communication. Mais, comme nous l’avons mentionné plus haut, c’est le domaine cryptographique qui restera le point focal de cette étude. Dans le second chapitre, nous nous intéresserons à la théorie des codes correcteurs d’erreurs classiques et quantiques qui seront à leur tour d’extrême importances lors de l’introduction de la théorie quantique du partage de secret dans le chapitre suivant. Dans la première partie du troisième chapitre, nous nous concentrerons sur le domaine classique du partage de secret en présentant un cadre théorique général portant sur la construction de ces primitives illustrant tout au long les concepts introduits par des exemples présentés pour leurs intérêts autant historiques que pédagogiques. Ceci préparera le chemin pour notre exposé sur la théorie quantique du partage de secret qui sera le focus de la seconde partie de ce même chapitre. Nous présenterons alors les théorèmes et définitions les plus généraux connus à date portant sur la construction de ces primitives en portant un intérêt particulier au partage quantique à seuil. Nous montrerons le lien étroit entre la théorie quantique des codes correcteurs d’erreurs et celle du partage de secret. Ce lien est si étroit que l’on considère les codes correcteurs d’erreurs quantiques étaient de plus proches analogues aux partages de secrets quantiques que ne leur étaient les codes de partage de secrets classiques. Finalement, nous présenterons un de nos trois résultats parus dans A. Broadbent, P.-R. Chouha, A. Tapp (2009); un protocole sécuritaire et minimal de partage de secret quantique a seuil (les deux autres résultats dont nous traiterons pas ici portent sur la complexité de la communication et sur la simulation classique de l’état de GHZ).In this thesis, we will focus on a cryptographic primitive known as secret sharing. We will explore both the classical and quantum domains of such schemes culminating our study by presenting a new protocol for sharing a quantum secret using the minimal number of possible quantum shares i.e. one single quantum share per participant. We will start our study by presenting in the preliminary chapter, a brief mathematical survey of quantum information theory (QIT) which has for goal primarily to establish the notation used throughout the manuscript as well as presenting a précis of the mathematical properties of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ)-state, which is used thoroughly in cryptography and in communication games. But as we mentioned above, our main focus will be on cryptography. In chapter two, we will pay a close attention to classical and quantum error corrections codes (QECC) since they will become of extreme importance when we introduce quantum secret sharing schemes in the following chapter. In the first part of chapter three, we will focus on classical secret shearing, presenting a general framework for such a primitive all the while illustrating the abstract concepts with examples presented both for their historical and analytical relevance. This first part (chapters one and two) will pave the way for our exposition of the theory of Quantum Secret Sharing (QSS), which will be the focus of the second part of chapter three. We will present then the most general theorems and definitions known to date for the construction of such primitives putting emphasis on the special case of quantum threshold schemes. We will show how quantum error correction codes are related to QSS schemes and show how this relation leads to a very solid correspondence to the point that QECC’s are closer analogues to QSS schemes than are the classical secret sharing primitives. Finally, we will present one of the three results we have in A. Broadbent, P.-R. Chouha, A. Tapp (2009) in particular, a secure minimal quantum threshold protocol (the other two results deal with communication complexity and the classical simulation of the GHZ-state)

The computational complexity of approximation of partition functions

This thesis studies the computational complexity of approximately evaluating partition functions. For various classes of partition functions, we investigate whether there is an FPRAS: a fully polynomial randomised approximation scheme. In many of these settings we also study “expressibility”, a simple notion of defining a constraint by combining other constraints, and we show that the results cannot be extended by expressibility reductions alone. The main contributions are: -� We show that there is no FPRAS for evaluating the partition function of the hard-core gas model on planar graphs at fugacity 312, unless RP = NP. -� We generalise an argument of Jerrum and Sinclair to give FPRASes for a large class of degree-two Boolean #CSPs. -� We initiate the classification of degree-two Boolean #CSPs where the constraint language consists of a single arity 3 relation. -� We show that the complexity of approximately counting downsets in directed acyclic graphs is not affected by restricting to graphs of maximum degree three. -� We classify the complexity of degree-two #CSPs with Boolean relations and weights on variables. -� We classify the complexity of the problem #CSP(F) for arbitrary finite domains when enough non-negative-valued arity 1 functions are in the constraint language. -� We show that not all log-supermodular functions can be expressed by binary logsupermodular functions in the context of #CSPs

Combinatorial computing approach to selected extremal problems in geometry

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Equivalence of Classical and Quantum Codes

In classical and quantum information theory there are different types of error-correcting codes being used. We study the equivalence of codes via a classification of their isometries. The isometries of various codes over Frobenius alphabets endowed with various weights typically have a rich and predictable structure. On the other hand, when the alphabet is not Frobenius the isometry group behaves unpredictably. We use character theory to develop a duality theory of partitions over Frobenius bimodules, which is then used to study the equivalence of codes. We also consider instances of codes over non-Frobenius alphabets and establish their isometry groups. Secondly, we focus on quantum stabilizer codes over local Frobenius rings. We estimate their minimum distance and conjecture that they do not underperform quantum stabilizer codes over fields. We introduce symplectic isometries. Isometry groups of binary quantum stabilizer codes are established and then applied to the LU-LC conjecture