Lower bounds on the maximum number of non-crossing acyclic graphs

This paper is a contribution to the problem of counting geometric graphs on point sets. More concretely, we look at the maximum numbers of non-crossing spanning trees and forests. We show that the so-called double chain point configuration of N points has Omega (12.52(N)) non-crossing spanning trees and Omega (13.61(N)) non-crossing forests. This improves the previous lower bounds on the maximum number of non-crossing spanning trees and of non-crossing forests among all sets of N points in general position given by Dumitrescu, Schulz, Sheffer and Toth (2013). Our analysis relies on the tools of analytic combinatorics, which enable us to count certain families of forests on points in convex position, and to estimate their average number of components. A new upper bound of O(22.12(N)) for the number of non-crossing spanning trees of the double chain is also obtained. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Postprint (author's final draft

Tutte polynomials of generalized parallel connections

We use weighted characteristic polynomials to compute Tutte polynomials of generalized parallel connections in the case in which the simplification of the maximal common restriction of the two constituent matroids is a modular flat of the simplifications of both matroids. In particular, this includes cycle matroids of graphs that are identified along complete subgraphs. We also develop formulas for Tutte polynomials of the k-sums that are obtained from such generalized parallel connections.Postprint (published version

T-uniqueness of some families of k-chordal matroids

We define k-chordal matroids as a generalization of chordal matroids, and develop tools for proving that some k-chordal matroids are T-unique, that is, determined up to isomorphism by their Tutte polynomials. We apply this theory to wheels, whirls, free spikes, binary spikes, and certain generalizations.Postprint (published version

Lattice path matroids: structural properties

This paper studies structural aspects of lattice path matroids. Among the basic topics treated are direct sums, duals, minors, circuits, and connected flats. One of the main results is a characterization of lattice path matroids in terms of fundamental flats, which are special connected flats from which one can recover the paths that define the matroid. We examine some aspects related to key topics in the literature of transversal matroids and we determine the connectivity of lattice path matroids. We also introduce notch matroids, a minor-closed, dual-closed subclass of lattice path matroids, and we find their excluded minors.Postprint (published version

Transformation and decomposition of clutters into matroids

A clutter is a family of mutually incomparable sets. The set of circuits of a matroid, its set of bases, and its set of hyperplanes are examples of clutters arising from matroids. In this paper we address the question of determining which are the matroidal clutters that best approximate an arbitrary clutter ¿. For this, we first define two orders under which to compare clutters, which give a total of four possibilities for approximating ¿ (i.e., above or below with respect to each order); in fact, we actually consider the problem of approximating ¿ with clutters from any collection of clutters S, not necessarily arising from matroids. We show that, under some mild conditions, there is a finite non-empty set of clutters from S that are the closest to ¿ and, moreover, that ¿ is uniquely determined by them, in the sense that it can be recovered using a suitable clutter operation. We then particularize these results to the case where S is a collection of matroidal clutters and give algorithmic procedures to compute these clutters.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Completion and decomposition of a clutter into representable matroids

This paper deals with the question of completing a monotone increasing family of subsets Gamma of a finite set Omega to obtain the linearly dependent subsets of a family of vectors of a vector space. Specifically, we prove that such vectorial completions of the family of subsets Gamma exist and, in addition, we show that the minimal vectorial completions of the family Gamma provide a decomposition of the clutter Lambda of the inclusion-minimal elements of Gamma. The computation of such vectorial decomposition of clutters is also discussed in some cases. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

A solution to the tennis ball problem

We present a complete solution to the so-called tennis ball problem, which is equivalent to counting the number of lattice paths in the plane that use North and East steps and lie between certain boundaries. The solution takes the form of explicit expressions for the corresponding generating functions. Our method is based on the properties of Tutte polynomials of matroids associated to lattice paths. We also show how the same method provides a solution to a wide generalization of the problem.Postprint (published version

On trees with the same restricted U-polynomial and the Prouhet–Tarry–Escott problem

This paper focuses on the well-known problem due to Stanley of whether two non-isomorphic trees can have the same U-polynomial (or, equivalently, the same chromatic symmetric function). We consider the Uk-polynomial, which is a restricted version of U-polynomial, and construct, for any given kk, non-isomorphic trees with the same Uk-polynomial. These trees are constructed by encoding solutions of the Prouhet–Tarry–Escott problem. As a consequence, we find a new class of trees that are distinguished by the U-polynomial up to isomorphism.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

On graphs with the same restricted U-polynomial and the U-polynomial for rooted graphs

In this abstract, we construct explicitly, for every k, pairs of non-isomorphic trees with the same restricted U-polynomial; by this we mean that the polynomials agree on terms with degree at most k. The construction is done purely in algebraic terms, after introducing and studying a generalization of the U-polynomial to rooted graphs.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

On the evaluation of the Tutte polynomial at the points (1,-1) and (2,-1)

C. Merino proved recently the following identity between evaluations of the Tutte polynomial of complete graphs: t($K_{n+2}$; 1,−1) = t($K_n$;2,−1). In this work we extend this result by giving a large class of graphs with this property, that is, graphs G such that there exist two vertices u and v with t(G;1,−1) = t(G−{u,v};2,−1). The class is described in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs and it contains in particular threshold graphs.Postprint (published version