CSM

Abstract

Given a graph G, we consider its associated (linear) matroid X, and associate X with three kinds of algebraic structures called external, central, and internal. Each algebraic structure is given in terms of a pair of homogeneous polynomial ideals in n variables that are dual to each other. Algebraically, one encodes properties of the (generic) hyperplane arrangement H(X) associated to X, while the other encodes by duality the properties of the zonotope Z(X) built from the matrix X. These algebraic structures are then applied to obtain various statistics for the graph G. In particular, the Hilbert series of each of the three ideals turn out to be ultimately related to the Tutte polynomial of G, and the grading of the ideals turns out to be related to specific counting functions on subforests or on spanning trees of G. This leads to other combinatorial connections and several open problems as well.

Related Links

• http://arxiv.org/abs/0708.2632 - arXiv version of our paper "Zonotopal algebra"