1-String CZ-Representation of Planar Graphs

In this paper, we prove that every planar 4-connected graph has a CZ-representation---a string representation using paths in a rectangular grid that contain at most one vertical segment. Furthermore, two paths representing vertices $u,v$ intersect precisely once whenever there is an edge between $u$ and $v$. The required size of the grid is $n \times 2n$

11-String B2B_2-VPG Representation of Planar Graphs

In this paper, we prove that every planar graph has a 1-string $B_2$-VPG representation---a string representation using paths in a rectangular grid that contain at most two bends. Furthermore, two paths representing vertices $u,v$ intersect precisely once whenever there is an edge between $u$ and $v$.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1409.581

String graphs and separators

String graphs, that is, intersection graphs of curves in the plane, have been studied since the 1960s. We provide an expository presentation of several results, including very recent ones: some string graphs require an exponential number of crossings in every string representation; exponential number is always sufficient; string graphs have small separators; and the current best bound on the crossing number of a graph in terms of the pair-crossing number. For the existence of small separators, unwrapping the complete proof include generally useful results on approximate flow-cut dualities.Comment: Expository paper based on course note

On edge-intersection graphs of k-bend paths in grids

Edge-intersection graphs of paths in grids are graphs that can be represented such that vertices are paths in a grid and edges between vertices of the graph exist whenever two grid paths share a grid edge. This type of graphs is motivated by applications in conflict resolution of paths in grid networks. In this paper, we continue the study of edge-intersection graphs of paths in a grid, which was initiated by Golumbic, Lipshteyn and Stern. We show that for any k, if the number of bends in each path is restricted to be at most k, then not all graphs can be represented. Then we study some graph classes that can be represented with k-bend paths, for small k. We show that every planar graph has a representation with 5-bend paths, every outerplanar graph has a representation with 3-bend paths, and every planar bipartite graph has a representation with 2-bend paths. We also study line graphs, graphs of bounded pathwidth, and graphs with -regular edge orientations

Restricted String Representations

A string representation of a graph assigns to every vertex a curve in the plane so that two curves intersect if and only if the represented vertices are adjacent. This work investigates string representations of graphs with an emphasis on the shapes of curves and the way they intersect. We strengthen some previously known results and show that every planar graph has string representations where every curve consists of axis-parallel line segments with at most two bends (those are the so-called $B_2$-VPG representations) and simultaneously two curves intersect each other at most once (those are the so-called 1-string representations). Thus, planar graphs are $B_2$-VPG $1$-string graphs. We further show that with some restrictions on the shapes of the curves, string representations can be used to produce approximation algorithms for several hard problems. The $B_2$-VPG representations of planar graphs satisfy these restrictions. We attempt to further restrict the number of bends in VPG representations for subclasses of planar graphs, and investigate $B_1$-VPG representations. We propose new classes of string representations for planar graphs that we call ``order-preserving.'' Order-preservation is an interesting property which relates the string representation to the planar embedding of the graph, and we believe that it might prove useful when constructing string representations. Finally, we extend our investigation of string representations to string representations that require some curves to intersect multiple times. We show that there are outer-string graphs that require an exponential number of crossings in their outer-string representations. Our construction also proves that 1-planar graphs, i.e., graphs that are no longer planar, yet fairly close to planar graphs, may have string representations, but they are not always 1-string

Planar graphs are in 1-string

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