A new Kempe invariant and the (non)-ergodicity of the Wang-Swendsen-Kotecky algorithm

We prove that for the class of three-colorable triangulations of a closed oriented surface, the degree of a four-coloring modulo 12 is an invariant under Kempe changes. We use this general result to prove that for all triangulations T(3L,3M) of the torus with 3<= L <= M, there are at least two Kempe equivalence classes. This result implies in particular that the Wang-Swendsen-Kotecky algorithm for the zero-temperature 4-state Potts antiferromagnet on these triangulations T(3L,3M) of the torus is not ergodic.Comment: 37 pages (LaTeX2e). Includes tex file and 3 additional style files. The tex file includes 14 figures using pstricks.sty. Minor changes. Version published in J. Phys.

Median eigenvalues of bipartite subcubic graphs

It is proved that the median eigenvalues of every connected bipartite graph $G$ of maximum degree at most three belong to the interval $[-1,1]$ with a single exception of the Heawood graph, whose median eigenvalues are $\pm\sqrt{2}$. Moreover, if $G$ is not isomorphic to the Heawood graph, then a positive fraction of its median eigenvalues lie in the interval $[-1,1]$. This surprising result has been motivated by the problem about HOMO-LUMO separation that arises in mathematical chemistry.Comment: Accepted for publication in Combin. Probab. Compu