The average number of spanning trees in sparse graphs with given degrees

We give an asymptotic expression for the expected number of spanning trees in a random graph with a given degree sequence d=(d1,…,dn), provided that the number of edges is at least n+12dmax4, where dmax is the maximum degree. A key part of our argument involves establishing a concentration result for a certain family of functions over random trees with given degrees, using Prüfer codes

Spanning forests, electrical networks, and a determinant identity

We aim to generalize a theorem on the number of rooted spanning forests of a highly symmetric graph to the case of asymmetric graphs. We show that this can be achieved by means of an identity between the minor determinants of a Laplace matrix, for which we provide two different (combinatorial as well as algebraic) proofs in the simplest case. Furthermore, we discuss the connections to electrical networks and the enumeration of spanning trees in sequences of self-similar graphs

Pseudo-random graphs

Random graphs have proven to be one of the most important and fruitful concepts in modern Combinatorics and Theoretical Computer Science. Besides being a fascinating study subject for their own sake, they serve as essential instruments in proving an enormous number of combinatorial statements, making their role quite hard to overestimate. Their tremendous success serves as a natural motivation for the following very general and deep informal questions: what are the essential properties of random graphs? How can one tell when a given graph behaves like a random graph? How to create deterministically graphs that look random-like? This leads us to a concept of pseudo-random graphs and the aim of this survey is to provide a systematic treatment of this concept.Comment: 50 page