Flow polytopes for extensions of bipartite graphs

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Braun, Benjamin, Bruegge, Kaitlin, Davis, Robert, Hanely, Derek
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Braun, Benjamin
Bruegge, Kaitlin
Davis, Robert
Hanely, Derek
author_facet Braun, Benjamin
Bruegge, Kaitlin
Davis, Robert
Hanely, Derek
contents The space of unit flows on a finite acyclic directed graph is a lattice polytope called the flow polytope of the graph. Given a bipartite graph $G$ with minimum degree at least two, we construct two associated acyclic directed graphs: the extension of $G$ and the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$. We prove that the normalized volume of the flow polytope for the extension of $G$ is equal to the number of matchings in the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$. Further, we refine this result by proving that the Ehrhart $h^*$-polynomial of the flow polytope for the extension of $G$ is equal to the unsigned matching polynomial of the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_26445
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Flow polytopes for extensions of bipartite graphs
Braun, Benjamin
Bruegge, Kaitlin
Davis, Robert
Hanely, Derek
Combinatorics
The space of unit flows on a finite acyclic directed graph is a lattice polytope called the flow polytope of the graph. Given a bipartite graph $G$ with minimum degree at least two, we construct two associated acyclic directed graphs: the extension of $G$ and the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$. We prove that the normalized volume of the flow polytope for the extension of $G$ is equal to the number of matchings in the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$. Further, we refine this result by proving that the Ehrhart $h^*$-polynomial of the flow polytope for the extension of $G$ is equal to the unsigned matching polynomial of the almost-degree-whiskered graph of $G$.
title Flow polytopes for extensions of bipartite graphs
topic Combinatorics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.26445