Search arXiv⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search arXiv

Results for “math.CO”

Search indexed arXiv papers on artificial intelligence, large language models, computer vision and robotics. Read source abstracts and follow links to arXiv.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

1,185 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2026

Trade-off between spread and width for tree decompositions

The spread of a vertex $v$ in a tree decomposition is the number of bags that contain $v$. We study the trade-off between spread and width in tree decompositions, answering every open question from Wood [arXiv:2509.01140]. First, Wood asked for the infimum of $c > 0$ such that there exists $c'$ such that each graph $G$ has a tree decomposition of width $c \cdot tw(G)$ in which each vertex $v$ has spread at most $c'(d(v)+1)$. We show that the answer is $3$. Second, we prove a conjecture of Wood, stating that every tree-decomposition of the $(n \times n)$-grid with width $n$ has a vertex with spread $Ω(n)$. Finally, we answer the last question of Wood by showing that near-optimal average spread can be achieved simultaneously with width $O(tw(G))$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Mixed-dimensional quantum MacWilliams identity: Bounds for codes and absolutely maximally entangled states in heterogeneous systems

As emerging quantum architectures evolve into heterogeneous networks combining different physical substrates, such as qubits for logic and higher-dimensional qudits for robust communication, the traditional scalar metrics of quantum error correction become insufficient. To address this, we introduce a mathematical framework based on dimension multisets to characterize quantum error-correcting codes (QECC) and absolutely maximally entangled (AME) states in mixed-dimensional Hilbert spaces. By replacing scalar weights with multisets, we accurately capture the exact physical composition of error supports across these diverse systems. Our central result is the mixed-dimensional quantum MacWilliams identity, which establishes the formal algebraic relationship between Shor-Laflamme enumerators and unitary weight enumerators. From this foundation, we deduce the mixed-dimensional shadow identity and derive rigorous, generalized constraints on code parameters, explicitly formulating the mixed-dimensional quantum Hamming, Singleton and Scott bounds, and developing a linear program to systematically evaluate code viability. For the Singleton bound, a tighter bound that has no homogeneous analogue is derived for pure mixed-dimensional codes. Finally, we deploy this enumerator machinery to thoroughly analyze AME states, utilizing shadow inequalities to constrain their existence and introducing a combinatorial grid method for the explicit construction of mixed-dimensional tripartite AME states.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

Multiset Metric Dimension of Binomial Random Graphs

For a graph $G = (V,E)$ and a subset $R \subseteq V$, we say that $R$ is \textit{multiset resolving} for $G$ if for every pair of vertices $v,w$, the \textit{multisets} $\{d(v,r): r \in R\}$ and $\{d(w,r):r \in R\}$ are distinct, where $d(x,y)$ is the graph distance between vertices $x$ and $y$. The \textit{multiset metric dimension} of $G$ is the size of a smallest set $R \subseteq V$ that is multiset resolving (or $\infty$ if no such set exists). This graph parameter was introduced by Simanjuntak, Siagian, and Vitrík in 2017~\cite{simanjuntak2017multiset}, and has since been studied for a variety of graph families. We prove bounds which hold with high probability for the multiset metric dimension of the binomial random graph $G(n,p)$ in the regime $d = (n-1)p = Θ(n^{x})$ for fixed $x \in (0,1)$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Shannon Capacity and Related Graph Invariants for Lexicographic Products

This paper studies the Shannon capacity of lexicographic products of finite simple graphs, together with the Lovász theta function and the fractional Haemers number. The Shannon capacity is proved to be supermultiplicative under lexicographic products in either order, and these products are compared with the strong product. We explicitly construct three countably infinite families of lexicographic powers based on the Schläfli graph, the McLaughlin graph, and its second subconstituent; in each family, pairing each member with its complement yields strict supermultiplicativity and arbitrarily large multiplicative gaps. Bounds and exact-capacity criteria for lexicographic products are derived, and the resulting upper bounds are shown to be incomparable. The capacities of lexicographic products involving Kneser graphs, their complements, and $q$-analogues of Kneser graphs are determined. It is also shown that a lexicographic product with a complete outer factor preserves the Shannon capacity of an arbitrary inner factor. The capacities of iterated lexicographic powers are determined, including those of self-complementary graphs that are vertex-transitive or strongly regular. Elementary, self-contained proofs are also given for three known results: the multiplicativity of the Lovász theta function and the fractional Haemers number under lexicographic products, and the equality of the fractional and ordinary Lovász theta functions. Finally, an open problem concerning the Shannon capacities of lexicographic and strong products is posed.

cs.IT↗
arXiv2026

Helly-Type Theorems for Splitting Point Sets

Let $0 < α\leq 1/2$. We say that a finite point set $P$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is $α$-split by a hyperplane $h$ if each of the closed half-spaces determined by $h$, contains at least $α|P|$ of the points of $P$. We further say $P$ is $α$-split by a $k$-dimensional flat $τ$ if $P$ is $α$-split by any hyperplane through $τ$. In the standard notation (which coincides with Tukey depth for $k= 0$), the $k$-flat $τ$ has depth $α$ with respect to $P$. We establish interesting Helly-type theorems for splitting families of finite point sets in $\mathbb{R}^d$. Unlike the classical sufficient Helly-type criteria for transversals to families of compact convex sets, which exist only for point and hyperplanes, our results extend to splitting families of point sets by collections of $k$-flats of arbitrary dimensionality $ 0 \leq k \leq d-1$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

A Counterexample to Teschner's Bondage-Number Conjecture

For a finite simple graph $G$ with at least one edge, the bondage number $b(G)$ is the least number of edges whose deletion increases the domination number $γ(G)$. Teschner conjectured that $b(G)\le \tfrac32Δ(G)$ for every graph $G$. We disprove this conjecture by giving a connected cubic bipartite graph on eighteen vertices with \[ γ(G)=6 \qquad\text{and}\qquad b(G)=5. \] The domination number is established by a complete counting argument across the bipartition. An explicit five-edge deletion raises the domination number from six to seven. For the matching lower bound, we give an exact finite certificate: the graph has 297 minimum dominating sets, and deleting any one of its $\binom{27}{4}=17{,}550$ four-edge subsets leaves at least one of those sets dominating. The enumeration is deterministic, uses only exact integer and set operations, and is reproduced by the complete standard-library verifier included in the appendix.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Equality cases of the Stanley--Yan log-concave matroid inequality

The \emph{Stanley--Yan} (SY) \emph{inequality} gives the ultra-log-concavity for the numbers of bases of a matroid which have given sizes of intersections with $k$ fixed disjoint sets. The inequality was proved by Stanley (1981) for regular matroids, and by Yan (2023) in full generality. In the original paper, Stanley asked for equality conditions of the SY~inequality, and proved total equality conditions for regular matroids in the case $k=0$. In this paper, we completely resolve Stanley's problem. First, we obtain an explicit description of the equality cases of the SY inequality for $k=0$, extending Stanley's results to general matroids and removing the ``total equality'' assumption. Second, for $k\ge 1$, we prove that the equality cases of the SY inequality cannot be described in a sense that they are not in the polynomial hierarchy unless the polynomial hierarchy collapses to a finite level.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Traveling Salesman Problem with a preprocessing method for classical and quantum optimization

The Traveling Salesman Problem is a fundamental combinatorial optimization problem widely studied in operations research. Despite its simple formulation, it remains computationally challenging due to the exponential growth of the search space and the large number of constraints required to eliminate subtours. This paper introduces a preprocessing strategy that significantly reduces the size of the optimization model by restricting the set of candidate arcs and retaining only the lowest-cost neighbors for each vertex. Computational experiments on TSPLIB benchmark instances demonstrate that the proposed approach substantially reduces the number of decision variables. The method is evaluated using both classical and quantum optimization techniques, showing improvements in computational time and reductions in optimality gaps. Overall, the results indicate that the proposed preprocessing enhances the scalability of the formulations and makes them more suitable for both classical solvers and emerging quantum optimization frameworks.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

Robust topology optimization with non-Gaussian material fields using polygonal finite elements

We present a computational framework for robust topology optimization that integrates polygonal finite-element discretizations, spatially correlated non-Gaussian material modeling, and non-intrusive polynomial-chaos surrogates. Spatial uncertainty in Young's modulus is represented as a homogeneous non-Gaussian random field obtained via a memoryless transformation of a truncated Karhunen-Loève expansion, ensuring physical admissibility through positivity of stiffness while preserving the prescribed autocovariance. Polygonal finite elements provide a stable discretization for density-based optimization on unstructured meshes and mitigate checkerboard artefacts and mesh bias, while the sparse polynomial-chaos expansion enables efficient estimation of low-order statistical moments required by the robust objective at a fraction of the cost of intrusive or Monte Carlo approaches. Numerical studies on a cantilever and a curved beam show that introducing non-Gaussian material variability leads to systematic load-path redistribution and a reallocation of 6-12% of the structural volume, together with a reduction in compliance scatter. The non-intrusive surrogate reproduces intrusive reference results within 3% using an order of magnitude fewer full finite-element analyses. These results demonstrate that the proposed framework offers a physically consistent and computationally efficient route to topology-optimized designs that remain reliable under realistic material uncertainty.

cs.CE↗
arXiv2026

Improved bounds for the lazy cops and robbers on generalized hypercubes

In Lazy Cops and Robbers, at most one cop moves on each cop turn. We study the lazy cop number of the generalized hypercube $Q(n,m)$, whose vertex set is ${\{0,1,\ldots,m\}}^n$. For each fixed integer $m\geq2$, we prove the asymptotic upper bound $$c_{\mathrm{L}}(Q(n,m))=O\!\left(\frac{{(m+1)}^n}{n^{3/2}}\right).$$ This result improves the upper bound of Sim, Tan, and Wong by a factor of $\log n$. The proof combines a moving dominating-set argument with an explicit dominating-set construction inside the support classes of each level. As a separate domination result, we show that, for fixed integers $m\geq2$ and $d\geq1$, the Hamming graph $K_m^{\square k}$ has a distance-$d$ dominating set of asymptotic size $O(m^k/k^d)$. This order is optimal up to a constant factor.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Extremal Asymmetric Depth of Planar Graphs and Hidden Near-Mirror Symmetries of IPR Fullerenes

Although almost all graphs are asymmetric -- having no nontrivial global automorphisms -- they may still possess local symmetries in the form of isomorphisms between induced subgraphs, i.e., partial automorphisms. We study such local symmetries via asymmetric depth, defined in terms of the maximum rank of a nontrivial partial automorphism. We prove a tight upper bound on asymmetric depth in the class of planar graphs and identify the extremal graphs: duals of IPR fullerenes attain the maximum already on $47$ vertices. Our main structural result concerns the IPR fullerenes that are neither maximally asymmetric nor symmetric. In such a cage no purely local action realises a low asymmetric depth, and we show that the map which does realise it cannot be confined to a small part of the cage either: neither to a single face, nor behind an interface of at most $5-k$ edges, $k \le 3$ being the deficiency. A cage of asymmetric depth $2$ or $3$ is therefore not asymmetric in one place; it carries a broken symmetry invisible to its automorphism group. Such cages are rare -- under $2\%$ of the asymmetric IPR fullerenes at $n = 118$. In all $727$ of them the largest partial automorphism is a near-mirror reflection, which we state as an explicit conjecture. We also extend the asymmetric depth bound to graphs of higher genus.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Graphs with Long Pseudosimilarity Chains under Consecutive Vertex Deletions

Pseudosimilar vertices are vertices in distinct automorphism orbits whose deletions produce isomorphic graphs. Classical work has studied the existence, group-theoretic origin, and construction of large sets of such vertices. We ask a different recursive question: how long can one repeatedly delete a vertex that is pseudosimilar at the moment of deletion? We define the pseudosimilarity depth of a graph and construct connected graphs in which this process continues through all but a sublinear number of vertices. A two-clock construction gives a square-root deficit uniformly in the order, while a Chinese-remainder construction with many cyclic clocks yields an infinite family of asymmetric graphs with only a polylogarithmic number of vertices left outside the active chain. The mechanism realizes pseudosimilarity by breaking a long hidden automorphism orbit and enlarging the break one vertex at a time. Thus pseudosimilarity can persist through an asymptotically full sequence of vertex deletions, even though every graph encountered in the main construction is asymmetric.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

On graphs with modularity zero or near-zero

It is known that complete graphs and complete multipartite graphs have modularity zero. We show that the least number of edges we may delete from the complete graph $K_n$ to obtain a graph with non-zero modularity is $\lfloor n/2\rfloor +1$. Similarly we determine the least number of edges we may delete from or add to a complete bipartite graph to reach non-zero modularity. We give some corresponding results for complete multipartite graphs, and a short proof that complete multipartite graphs have modularity zero. We also analyse the modularity of very dense random graphs, and in particular we find that there is a transition to modularity zero when the average degree of the complementary graph drops below 1. Finally we consider some natural variants of the definition of modularity; and investigate which graphs have corresponding modularity value 0, and the least number of edges we may delete from the complete graph $K_n$ to obtain a graph with non-zero modularity.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

The half-rate linear programming bound for binary codes is $\frac12-\frac1π$

In their work on sphere packing and the conformal bootstrap, Afkhami-Jeddi, Cohn, Hartman, de Laat, and Tajdini conjectured the exact high-dimensional exponent of the Cohn--Elkies sphere-packing linear program. OpenAI's Chapter 1 subsequently proved their conjecture by establishing that both Fourier sign-uncertainty radii are $(1/π+o(1))\sqrt d$. We prove the binary coding analogue: the half-rate point of the asymptotic binary Delsarte linear program is $1/2-1/π$; equivalently, \[ R_D\!\left(\frac12-\frac1π\right)=\frac12. \] We also formulate the two Krawtchouk sign-uncertainty problems and determine both of their asymptotics. If $A^{\mathrm K}_{\pm}(n)$ denotes the first radial layer after which an origin-vanishing Krawtchouk $(\pm1)$-eigenfunction can be nonnegative, then \[ \frac{A^{\mathrm K}_{\pm}(n)}n\longrightarrow \frac12-\frac1π. \] The common lower bound is the Hamming space counterpart of the mass-concentration principle in the Chapter 1 proof. The upper bound has a different source. It is the binary-code counterpart of the final spherical-code construction in OpenAI's Chapter 2. Gay, Jeronimo, and Liu improved the resulting binary bound and suggested the functional $Φ$ used here, but explicitly evaluated only a few low levels of the corresponding hierarchy. We construct and evaluate compatible binary certificates at every level, attaining the upper bound in the limit. The construction uses an $N$-qubit generalization of the pure-state channel of Alrabiah and Guruswami.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Countable Graphs with Finite Path-width: Characterisation and Universality

We study path-width and the closely related parameter line-width in countably infinite graphs. Our first result characterises the graphs of finite path-width: they are the graphs that do not have infinitely many vertices of infinite degree, do not have infinitely many pairwise disjoint infinite paths, and contain no subdivision of some finite tree of maximum degree 3. We then investigate universality under the subgraph relation for graphs of bounded path-width or line-width. In particular, we prove that there exists a universal graph with line-width $\mathcal{O}(k^2)$ for the class of graphs with line-width at most $k$. In contrast, we show that no graph of finite path-width is universal for the class of locally finite graphs with path-width $1$. Finally, we show that for each $k\geq 2$, every universal graph for the class of graphs with path-width at most $k$ has line-width at least $k + 1$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Structural Corrections to the Bethe Approximation of the Permanent

We study deterministic approximation algorithms for the permanent of a nonnegative matrix through the Bethe permanent, an approximation computable in polynomial time. The tight analysis of Anari and Rezaei gives a universal comparison between the permanent and the Bethe permanent within a factor $(\sqrt 2)^n$. The simple example of the unweighted $4$-cycle $C_4$ (or a union of disjoint $C_4$'s) shows that this bound is tight. We show that such $4$-cycle obstructions can be identified and exploited algorithmically. Given a Bethe optimizer, our algorithm identifies nearly isolated weighted $2\times2$ blocks and peels off a vertex-disjoint family of them. If the total weighted correction is large, we can improve the Bethe approximation; if it is small, we show that the Bethe permanent is within a factor of $(\sqrt2 - \varepsilon)^n$ of the truth. Combining these facts, we obtain a deterministic polynomial time $(\sqrt2-\varepsilon)^n$-approximation algorithm for the permanent of an arbitrary nonnegative $n\times n$ matrix, where $\varepsilon>0$ is some absolute constant.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2026

Uniformly Weighted Graphical Designs

A graphical design is a subset of vertices of a graph, along with a weight for each chosen vertex, that can perfectly average chosen subspaces of functions on the graph. A design is uniformly weighted if all the weights are equal, and several well-known combinatorial objects such as orthogonal arrays, combinatorial block designs and t-wise permutations are uniformly weighted graphical designs. While one might expect to see uniformly weighted designs in structured graphs, they do not always exist. In this paper we characterize the existence of uniformly weighted graphical designs, and use our result to provide several families of graphs that have, and do not have, such designs. Our results offer a polyhedral view of the structures that control the existence and cardinalities of these designs. In particular, we characterize all uniformly weighted designs of threshold graphs, and provide a geometric proof of the duality of linear codes and linear orthogonal arrays. We also provide a novel construction for graphs whose Laplacian characteristic polynomials are almost irreducible, to produce families without uniformly weighted designs.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

FirstFit online coloring in the random order model

The average performance of FirstFit online coloring on trees in the random order model is completely determined in recent works of Frei et al. and Bosek et al., showing $Θ(\log n /\log\log n)$ number of colors, improving the $Θ(\log n)$ colors in the adversarial model. We provide a few further results on slightly more general graph classes. Firstly, we extend their method to obtain a simple path-counting principle for sparse graph classes, which immediately yields for example that cactus graphs and uniform hypertrees exhibit a similar improvement. We then show that FirstFit uses only $O(1)$ colors on crown graphs, a standard example where adversarial arrival forces $Θ(n)$ colors. We further show that density alone (even linear minimum degree) is insufficient to guarantee $O(1)$ colors even on bipartite graphs. Finally, we identify graph classes, including unit interval graphs and some graphs of high chromatic number, for which random arrival provides only limited improvement. We end with some open problems.

cs.DS↗