A Tutte polynomial inequality for lattice path matroids

Let $M$ be a matroid without loops or coloops and let $T(M;x,y)$ be its Tutte polynomial. In 1999 Merino and Welsh conjectured that $$\max(T(M;2,0), T(M;0,2))\geq T(M;1,1)$$ holds for graphic matroids. Ten years later, Conde and Merino proposed a multiplicative version of the conjecture which implies the original one. In this paper we prove the multiplicative conjecture for the family of lattice path matroids (generalizing earlier results on uniform and Catalan matroids). In order to do this, we introduce and study particular lattice path matroids, called snakes, used as building bricks to indeed establish a strengthening of the multiplicative conjecture as well as a complete characterization of the cases in which equality holds.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, improved exposition/minor correction

Some inequalities for the Tutte polynomial

We prove that the Tutte polynomial of a coloopless paving matroid is convex along the portions of the line segments x+y=p lying in the positive quadrant. Every coloopless paving matroids is in the class of matroids which contain two disjoint bases or whose ground set is the union of two bases of M*. For this latter class we give a proof that T_M(a,a) <= max {T_M(2a,0), T_M(0,2a)} for a >= 2. We conjecture that T_M(1,1) <= max {T_M(2,0), T_M(0,2)} for the same class of matroids. We also prove this conjecture for some families of graphs and matroids.Comment: 17 page

The Merino--Welsh conjecture is false for matroids

The matroidal version of the Merino--Welsh conjecture states that the Tutte polynomial $T_M(x,y)$ of any matroid $M$ without loops and coloops satisfies that $$\max(T_M(2,0),T_M(0,2))\geq T_M(1,1).$$ Equivalently, if the Merino--Welsh conjecture is true for all matroids without loops and coloops, then the following inequalities are also satisfied for all matroids without loops and coloops: $$T_M(2,0)+T_M(0,2)\geq 2T_M(1,1),$$ and $$T_M(2,0)T_M(0,2)\geq T_M(1,1)^2.$$ We show a counter-example for these inequalities.Comment: 6 page

Order Quasisymmetric Functions Distinguish Rooted Trees

Richard P. Stanley conjectured that finite trees can be distinguished by their chromatic symmetric functions. In this paper, we prove an analogous statement for posets: Finite rooted trees can be distinguished by their order quasisymmetric functions.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, referees' suggestions incorporate

On the number of spanning trees in random regular graphs

Let $d \geq 3$ be a fixed integer. We give an asympotic formula for the expected number of spanning trees in a uniformly random $d$-regular graph with $n$ vertices. (The asymptotics are as $n\to\infty$, restricted to even $n$ if $d$ is odd.) We also obtain the asymptotic distribution of the number of spanning trees in a uniformly random cubic graph, and conjecture that the corresponding result holds for arbitrary (fixed) $d$. Numerical evidence is presented which supports our conjecture.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. This version addresses referee's comment