A note on the 2-Factor Hamiltonicity Conjecture

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Gorsky, Maximilian, Johanni, Theresa, Wiederrecht, Sebastian
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Gorsky, Maximilian
Johanni, Theresa
Wiederrecht, Sebastian
author_facet Gorsky, Maximilian
Johanni, Theresa
Wiederrecht, Sebastian
contents The 2-factor Hamiltonicity Conjecture by Funk, Jackson, Labbate, and Sheehan [JCTB, 2003] asserts that all cubic, bipartite graphs in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles can be built using a simple operation starting from $K_{3,3}$ and the Heawood graph. We discuss the link between this conjecture and matching theory, in particular by showing that this conjecture is equivalent to the statement that the two exceptional graphs in the conjecture are the only cubic braces in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles, where braces are connected, bipartite graphs in which every matching of size at most two is contained in a perfect matching. In the context of matching theory this conjecture is especially noteworthy as $K_{3,3}$ and the Heawood graph are both strongly tied to the important class of Pfaffian graphs, with $K_{3,3}$ being the canonical non-Pfaffian graph and the Heawood graph being one of the most noteworthy Pfaffian graphs. Our main contribution is a proof that the Heawood graph is the only Pfaffian, cubic brace in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles. This is shown by establishing that, aside from the Heawood graph, all Pfaffian braces contain a cycle of length four, which may be of independent interest.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_08128
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A note on the 2-Factor Hamiltonicity Conjecture
Gorsky, Maximilian
Johanni, Theresa
Wiederrecht, Sebastian
Combinatorics
05C38, 05C45, 05C70, 05C75
G.2.2
The 2-factor Hamiltonicity Conjecture by Funk, Jackson, Labbate, and Sheehan [JCTB, 2003] asserts that all cubic, bipartite graphs in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles can be built using a simple operation starting from $K_{3,3}$ and the Heawood graph. We discuss the link between this conjecture and matching theory, in particular by showing that this conjecture is equivalent to the statement that the two exceptional graphs in the conjecture are the only cubic braces in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles, where braces are connected, bipartite graphs in which every matching of size at most two is contained in a perfect matching. In the context of matching theory this conjecture is especially noteworthy as $K_{3,3}$ and the Heawood graph are both strongly tied to the important class of Pfaffian graphs, with $K_{3,3}$ being the canonical non-Pfaffian graph and the Heawood graph being one of the most noteworthy Pfaffian graphs. Our main contribution is a proof that the Heawood graph is the only Pfaffian, cubic brace in which all 2-factors are Hamiltonian cycles. This is shown by establishing that, aside from the Heawood graph, all Pfaffian braces contain a cycle of length four, which may be of independent interest.
title A note on the 2-Factor Hamiltonicity Conjecture
topic Combinatorics
05C38, 05C45, 05C70, 05C75
G.2.2
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.08128