On partitions avoiding 3-crossings

A partition on $[n]$ has a crossing if there exists $i\_1<i\_2<j\_1<j\_2$ such that $i\_1$ and $j\_1$ are in the same block, $i\_2$ and $j\_2$ are in the same block, but $i\_1$ and $i\_2$ are not in the same block. Recently, Chen et al. refined this classical notion by introducing $k$-crossings, for any integer $k$. In this new terminology, a classical crossing is a 2-crossing. The number of partitions of $[n]$ avoiding 2-crossings is well-known to be the $n$th Catalan number $C\_n={{2n}\choose n}/(n+1)$. This raises the question of counting $k$-noncrossing partitions for $k\ge 3$. We prove that the sequence counting 3-noncrossing partitions is P-recursive, that is, satisfies a linear recurrence relation with polynomial coefficients. We give explicitly such a recursion. However, we conjecture that $k$-noncrossing partitions are not P-recursive, for $k\ge 4$

Improved bounds for the crossing numbers of K_m,n and K_n

It has been long--conjectured that the crossing number cr(K_m,n) of the complete bipartite graph K_m,n equals the Zarankiewicz Number Z(m,n):= floor((m-1)/2) floor(m/2) floor((n-1)/2) floor(n/2). Another long--standing conjecture states that the crossing number cr(K_n) of the complete graph K_n equals Z(n):= floor(n/2) floor((n-1)/2) floor((n-2)/2) floor((n-3)/2)/4. In this paper we show the following improved bounds on the asymptotic ratios of these crossing numbers and their conjectured values: (i) for each fixed m >= 9, lim_{n->infty} cr(K_m,n)/Z(m,n) >= 0.83m/(m-1); (ii) lim_{n->infty} cr(K_n,n)/Z(n,n) >= 0.83; and (iii) lim_{n->infty} cr(K_n)/Z(n) >= 0.83. The previous best known lower bounds were 0.8m/(m-1), 0.8, and 0.8, respectively. These improved bounds are obtained as a consequence of the new bound cr(K_{7,n}) >= 2.1796n^2 - 4.5n. To obtain this improved lower bound for cr(K_{7,n}), we use some elementary topological facts on drawings of K_{2,7} to set up a quadratic program on 6! variables whose minimum p satisfies cr(K_{7,n}) >= (p/2)n^2 - 4.5n, and then use state--of--the--art quadratic optimization techniques combined with a bit of invariant theory of permutation groups to show that p >= 4.3593.Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 2 figure

Flip Distance to a Non-crossing Perfect Matching

A perfect straight-line matching $M$ on a finite set $P$ of points in the plane is a set of segments such that each point in $P$ is an endpoint of exactly one segment. $M$ is non-crossing if no two segments in $M$ cross each other. Given a perfect straight-line matching $M$ with at least one crossing, we can remove this crossing by a flip operation. The flip operation removes two crossing segments on a point set $Q$ and adds two non-crossing segments to attain a new perfect matching $M'$. It is well known that after a finite number of flips, a non-crossing matching is attained and no further flip is possible. However, prior to this work, no non-trivial upper bound on the number of flips was known. If $g(n)$ (resp.~$k(n)$) is the maximum length of the longest (resp.~shortest) sequence of flips starting from any matching of size $n$, we show that $g(n) = O(n^3)$ and $g(n) = \Omega(n^2)$ (resp.~$k(n) = O(n^2)$ and $k(n) = \Omega (n)$)

Obstacle Numbers of Planar Graphs

Given finitely many connected polygonal obstacles $O_1,\dots,O_k$ in the plane and a set $P$ of points in general position and not in any obstacle, the {\em visibility graph} of $P$ with obstacles $O_1,\dots,O_k$ is the (geometric) graph with vertex set $P$, where two vertices are adjacent if the straight line segment joining them intersects no obstacle. The obstacle number of a graph $G$ is the smallest integer $k$ such that $G$ is the visibility graph of a set of points with $k$ obstacles. If $G$ is planar, we define the planar obstacle number of $G$ by further requiring that the visibility graph has no crossing edges (hence that it is a planar geometric drawing of $G$). In this paper, we prove that the maximum planar obstacle number of a planar graph of order $n$ is $n-3$, the maximum being attained (in particular) by maximal bipartite planar graphs. This displays a significant difference with the standard obstacle number, as we prove that the obstacle number of every bipartite planar graph (and more generally in the class PURE-2-DIR of intersection graphs of straight line segments in two directions) of order at least $3$ is $1$.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2017

New Observables for Parity Violation in Atoms: Energy Shifts in External Electric Fields

We consider hydrogen-like atoms in unstable levels of principal quantum number n=2, confined to a finite size region in a non-homogeneous electric field carrying handedness. The interplay between the internal degrees of freedom of the atoms and the external ones of their c.m. motion can produce P-odd contributions to the eigenenergies. The nominal order of such shifts is 10^-8 Hz. Typically such energy shifts depend linearly on the small P-violation parameters delta_i similarequal 10^-12 (i=1,2), essentially the ratios of the P-violating mixing matrix elements of the 2S and 2P states over the Lamb shift, with i=1 (i=2) corresponding to the nuclear spin independent (dependent) term. We show how such energy shifts can be enhanced by a factor of similarequal 10^6 in a resonance like way for special field configurations where a crossing of unstable levels occurs, leading to P-violating effects proportional to squareroot{delta_i}. Measurements of such effects can give information concerning the ``spin crisis'' of the nucleons.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Particle alignments and shape change in 66^{66}Ge and 68^{68}Ge

The structure of the $N \approx Z$ nuclei $^{66}$Ge and $^{68}$Ge is studied by the shell model on a spherical basis. The calculations with an extended $P+QQ$ Hamiltonian in the configuration space ($2p_{3/2}$, $1f_{5/2}$, $2p_{1/2}$, $1g_{9/2}$) succeed in reproducing experimental energy levels, moments of inertia and $Q$ moments in Ge isotopes. Using the reliable wave functions, this paper investigates particle alignments and nuclear shapes in $^{66}$Ge and $^{68}$Ge. It is shown that structural changes in the four sequences of the positive- and negative-parity yrast states with even $J$ and odd $J$ are caused by various types of particle alignments in the $g_{9/2}$ orbit. The nuclear shape is investigated by calculating spectroscopic $Q$ moments of the first and second $2^+$ states, and moreover the triaxiality is examined by the constrained Hatree-Fock method. The changes of the first band crossing and the nuclear deformation depending on the neutron number are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 21 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.