Related papers: Knottedness is in NP, modulo GRH
We construct a graph G such that any embedding of G into R^{3} contains a nonsplit link of two components, where at least one of the components is a nontrivial knot. Further, for any m < n we produce a graph H so that every embedding of H…
In 1983 Conway and Gordon proved that any embedding of the complete graph $K_7$ into $\mathbb{R}^3$ contains at least one nontrivial knot as its Hamiltonian cycle. After their work knots (also links) are considered as intrinsic properties…
Virtual knot theory is a generalization (discovered by the author in 1996) of knot theory to the study of all oriented Gauss codes. (Classical knot theory is a study of planar Gauss codes.) Graph theory studies non-planar graphs via…
We investigate the computational complexity of some problems in three-dimensional topology and geometry. We show that the problem of determining a bound on the genus of a knot in a 3-manifold, is NP-complete. Using similar ideas, we show…
A knot k is called ``strongly (n-1)-trivial.'' if there exists a projection of k, such that one can choose n crossings of the projection with the property that making the crossing changes corresponding to any of the $2^{n}-1$ nontrivial…
Treewidth is an important and well-known graph parameter that measures the complexity of a graph. The Kneser graph Kneser(n,k) is the graph with vertex set $\binom{[n]}{k}$, such that two vertices are adjacent if they are disjoint. We…
We prove that a prime knot K is not determined by its p-fold cyclic branched cover for at most two odd primes p. Moreover, we show that for a given odd prime p, the p-fold cyclic branched cover of a prime knot K is the p-fold cyclic…
Let $G$ be a nontrivial connected graph of order $n$ and let $k$ be an integer with $2\leq k\leq n$. For a set $S$ of $k$ vertices of $G$, let $\kappa (S)$ denote the maximum number $\ell$ of edge-disjoint trees $T_1,T_2,...,T_\ell$ in $G$…
A map $f\colon K\to \mathbb R^d$ of a simplicial complex is an almost embedding if $f(\sigma)\cap f(\tau)=\emptyset$ whenever $\sigma,\tau$ are disjoint simplices of $K$. Theorem. Fix integers $d,k\ge2$ such that $d=\frac{3k}2+1$. (a)…
The problem of determining whether a graph $G$ contains another graph $H$ as a minor, referred to as the minor containment problem, is a fundamental problem in the field of graph algorithms. While it is NP-complete when $G$ and $H$ are…
Let K be a tame knot with irreducible exterior M(K) in a closed, connected, orientable 3--manifold Sigma such that pi_1(Sigma) is cyclic. If infinity is not a strict boundary slope, then the diameter of the set of strict boundary slopes of…
It is a major unsolved problem as to whether unknot recognition - that is, testing whether a given closed loop in R^3 can be untangled to form a plain circle - has a polynomial time algorithm. In practice, trivial knots (which can be…
For a class $\mathcal{H}$ of graphs, #Sub$(\mathcal{H})$ is the counting problem that, given a graph $H\in \mathcal{H}$ and an arbitrary graph $G$, asks for the number of subgraphs of $G$ isomorphic to $H$. It is known that if $\mathcal{H}$…
A homomorphism from a graph $G$ to a graph $H$ is an edge-preserving mapping from $V(G)$ to $V(H)$. Let $H$ be a fixed graph with possible loops. In the list homomorphism problem, denoted by LHom($H$), we are given a graph $G$, whose every…
For a fixed set ${\cal H}$ of graphs, a graph $G$ is ${\cal H}$-subgraph-free if $G$ does not contain any $H \in {\cal H}$ as a (not necessarily induced) subgraph. A recently proposed framework gives a complete classification on ${\cal…
Making use of the equivalence between paraxial wave equation and two-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation, Gaussian beams of monochromatic light, possessing knotted nodal structures are obtained in an analytical way. These beams belong to the…
We exactly settle the complexity of graph realization, graph rigidity, and graph global rigidity as applied to three types of graphs: "globally noncrossing" graphs, which avoid crossings in all of their configurations; matchstick graphs,…
The Induced Graph Matching problem asks to find k disjoint induced subgraphs isomorphic to a given graph H in a given graph G such that there are no edges between vertices of different subgraphs. This problem generalizes the classical…
We introduce a new way to tabulate knots by representing knot diagrams using a pair of planar trees. This pair of trees have their edges labeled by integers, they have no valence 2 vertices, and they have the same number of valence 1…
We study the following generalization of the Hamiltonian cycle problem: Given integers $a,b$ and graph $G$, does there exist a closed walk in $G$ that visits every vertex at least $a$ times and at most $b$ times? Equivalently, does there…