Toward the Rectilinear Crossing Number of KnK_n: New Drawings, Upper Bounds, and Asymptotics

Scheinerman and Wilf (1994) assert that `an important open problem in the study of graph embeddings is to determine the rectilinear crossing number of the complete graph K_n.' A rectilinear drawing of K_n is an arrangement of n vertices in the plane, every pair of which is connected by an edge that is a line segment. We assume that no three vertices are collinear, and that no three edges intersect in a point unless that point is an endpoint of all three. The rectilinear crossing number of K_n is the fewest number of edge crossings attainable over all rectilinear drawings of K_n. For each n we construct a rectilinear drawing of K_n that has the fewest number of edge crossings and the best asymptotics known to date. Moreover, we give some alternative infinite families of drawings of K_n with good asymptotics. Finally, we mention some old and new open problems.Comment: 13 Page

The Crossing Number of Graphs: Theory and Computation

This survey concentrates on selected theoretical and computational aspects of the crossing number of graphs. Starting with its introduction by Turán, we will discuss known results for complete and complete bipartite graphs. Then we will focus on some historical confusion on the crossing number that has been brought up by Pach and Tóth as well as Székely. A connection to computational geometry is made in the section on the geometric version, namely the rectilinear crossing number. We will also mention some applications of the crossing number to geometrical problems. This review ends with recent results on approximation and exact computations

On Geometric Drawings of Graphs

This thesis is about geometric drawings of graphs and their topological generalizations. First, we study pseudolinear drawings of graphs in the plane. A pseudolinear drawing is one in which every edge can be extended into an infinite simple arc in the plane, homeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}$, and such that every two extending arcs cross exactly once. This is a natural generalization of the well-studied class of rectilinear drawings, where edges are straight-line segments. Although, the problem of deciding whether a drawing is homeomorphic to a rectilinear drawing is NP-hard, in this work we characterize the minimal forbidden subdrawings for pseudolinear drawings and we also provide a polynomial-time algorithm for recognizing this family of drawings. Second, we consider the problem of transforming a topological drawing into a similar rectilinear drawing preserving the set of crossing pairs of edges. We show that, under some circumstances, pseudolinearity is a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of such transformation. For this, we prove a generalization of Tutte's Spring Theorem for drawings with crossings placed in a particular way. Lastly, we study drawings of $K_n$ in the sphere whose edges can be extended to an arrangement of pseudocircles. An arrangement of pseudocircles is a set of simple closed curves in the sphere such that every two intersect at most twice. We show that (i) there is drawing of $K_{10}$ that cannot be extended into an arrangement of pseudocircles; and (ii) there is a drawing of $K_9$ that can be extended to an arrangement of pseudocircles, but no extension satisfies that every two pseudocircles intersects exactly twice. We also introduce the notion pseudospherical drawings of $K_n$, a generalization of spherical drawings in which each edge is a minor arc of a great circle. We show that these drawings are characterized by a simple local property. We also show that every pseudospherical drawing has an extension into an arrangement of pseudocircles where the ``at most twice'' condition is replaced by ``exactly twice''

Graph Treewidth and Geometric Thickness Parameters

Consider a drawing of a graph $G$ in the plane such that crossing edges are coloured differently. The minimum number of colours, taken over all drawings of $G$, is the classical graph parameter "thickness". By restricting the edges to be straight, we obtain the "geometric thickness". By further restricting the vertices to be in convex position, we obtain the "book thickness". This paper studies the relationship between these parameters and treewidth. Our first main result states that for graphs of treewidth $k$, the maximum thickness and the maximum geometric thickness both equal $\lceil{k/2}\rceil$. This says that the lower bound for thickness can be matched by an upper bound, even in the more restrictive geometric setting. Our second main result states that for graphs of treewidth $k$, the maximum book thickness equals $k$ if $k \leq 2$ and equals $k+1$ if $k \geq 3$. This refutes a conjecture of Ganley and Heath [Discrete Appl. Math. 109(3):215-221, 2001]. Analogous results are proved for outerthickness, arboricity, and star-arboricity.Comment: A preliminary version of this paper appeared in the "Proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on Graph Drawing" (GD '05), Lecture Notes in Computer Science 3843:129-140, Springer, 2006. The full version was published in Discrete & Computational Geometry 37(4):641-670, 2007. That version contained a false conjecture, which is corrected on page 26 of this versio

Evidence for pre-folding vein development in the Oligo-Miocene Asmari Formation in the Central Zagros Fold Belt, Iran

International audienceIn order to understand the interplay between vein development and folding in the carbonates of the Oligo-Miocene Asmari Formation (one of the main hydrocarbon reservoir rocks) in Iran, several anticlines have been investigated in the central part of the Zagros folded belt. Combining observations of relative chronology between veins based on calcite-filling phases and crosscutting/abutting relationships, as well as aerial/satellite image interpretation on several anticlines allowed proposing a tectonic model highlighting the widespread development of veins and other extensional micro/meso-structures in the Central Zagros folded belt. Our data suggest that most of the veins affecting the Asmari formation predated the main Miocene-Pliocene folding episode. An early regional vein set striking N50° marked the onset of collisional stress build-up in the region. Then, N150° and N20° trending vein sets were initiated in response to local extension caused by large-scale flexure/drape folds above N-S and N140° basement faults reactivated under the regional NE compression. At the onset and during Miocene-Pliocene folding of the sedimentary cover, the early formed veins were reactivated (reopened and/or sheared) while duplexes, low angle reverse faults and thrusts formed. Beyond regional implications, this study puts emphasis on the need of carefully considering regional/local vein development predating folding as well as influence of underlying basement faults in models of folded-fractured reservoirs in fold-thrust belts

Concepts and methods for describing critical phenomena in fluids

The predictions of theoretical models for a critical-point phase transistion in fluids, namely the classical equation with third-degree critical isotherm, that with fifth-degree critical isotherm, and the lattice gas, are reviewed. The renormalization group theory of critical phenomena and the hypothesis of universality of critical behavior supported by this theory are discussed as well as the nature of gravity effects and how they affect cricital-region experimentation in fluids. The behavior of the thermodynamic properties and the correlation function is formulated in terms of scaling laws. The predictions of these scaling laws and of the hypothesis of universality of critical behavior are compared with experimental data for one-component fluids and it is indicated how the methods can be extended to describe critical phenomena in fluid mixtures