Tight Euler tours in uniform hypergraphs - computational aspects

By a tight tour in a $k$-uniform hypergraph $H$ we mean any sequence of its vertices $(w_0,w_1,\ldots,w_{s-1})$ such that for all $i=0,\ldots,s-1$ the set $e_i=\{w_i,w_{i+1}\ldots,w_{i+k-1}\}$ is an edge of $H$ (where operations on indices are computed modulo $s$) and the sets $e_i$ for $i=0,\ldots,s-1$ are pairwise different. A tight tour in $H$ is a tight Euler tour if it contains all edges of $H$. We prove that the problem of deciding if a given $3$-uniform hypergraph has a tight Euler tour is NP-complete, and that it cannot be solved in time $2^{o(m)}$ (where $m$ is the number of edges in the input hypergraph), unless the ETH fails. We also present an exact exponential algorithm for the problem, whose time complexity matches this lower bound, and the space complexity is polynomial. In fact, this algorithm solves a more general problem of computing the number of tight Euler tours in a given uniform hypergraph

Hamilton cycles in 5-connected line graphs

A conjecture of Carsten Thomassen states that every 4-connected line graph is hamiltonian. It is known that the conjecture is true for 7-connected line graphs. We improve this by showing that any 5-connected line graph of minimum degree at least 6 is hamiltonian. The result extends to claw-free graphs and to Hamilton-connectedness

Constant-Factor Approximation for TSP with Disks

We revisit the traveling salesman problem with neighborhoods (TSPN) and present the first constant-ratio approximation for disks in the plane: Given a set of $n$ disks in the plane, a TSP tour whose length is at most $O(1)$ times the optimal can be computed in time that is polynomial in $n$. Our result is the first constant-ratio approximation for a class of planar convex bodies of arbitrary size and arbitrary intersections. In order to achieve a $O(1)$-approximation, we reduce the traveling salesman problem with disks, up to constant factors, to a minimum weight hitting set problem in a geometric hypergraph. The connection between TSPN and hitting sets in geometric hypergraphs, established here, is likely to have future applications.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

A Harary-Sachs Theorem for Hypergraphs

We generalize the Harary-Sachs theorem to $k$-uniform hypergraphs: the codegree-$d$ coefficient of the characteristic polynomial of a uniform hypergraph ${\cal H}$ can be expressed as a weighted sum of subgraph counts over certain multi-hypergraphs with $d$ edges. This includes a detailed description of said multi-hypergraphs and a formula for their corresponding weights, which we use to describe the low codegree coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of a 3-uniform hypergraph. We further provide explicit and asymptotic formulas for the contribution from $k$-uniform simplices and conclude by showing that the Harary-Sachs theorem for graphs is indeed a special case of our main theorem.Comment: 30 page

Spectra of Uniform Hypergraphs

We present a spectral theory of hypergraphs that closely parallels Spectral Graph Theory. A number of recent developments building upon classical work has led to a rich understanding of "hyperdeterminants" of hypermatrices, a.k.a. multidimensional arrays. Hyperdeterminants share many properties with determinants, but the context of multilinear algebra is substantially more complicated than the linear algebra required to address Spectral Graph Theory (i.e., ordinary matrices). Nonetheless, it is possible to define eigenvalues of a hypermatrix via its characteristic polynomial as well as variationally. We apply this notion to the "adjacency hypermatrix" of a uniform hypergraph, and prove a number of natural analogues of basic results in Spectral Graph Theory. Open problems abound, and we present a number of directions for further study.Comment: 32 pages, no figure