组合数学

We identify universal polar dual pairs of spherical codes $C$ and $D$ such that for a large class of potential functions $h$ the minima of the discrete $h$-potential of $C$ on the sphere occur at the points of $D$ and vice versa. Moreover,…

Similarity notions between vertices in a graph, such as structural and regular equivalence, are one of the main ingredients in clustering tools in complex network science. We generalise structural and regular equivalences for undirected…

A graph $G$ factors into graphs $H$ and $K$ via a matrix product if $A = BC$, where $A$, $B$, and $C$ are the adjacency matrices of $G$, $H$, and $K$, respectively. The graph $G$ is prime if, in every such factorization, one of the factors…

We consider the problem of finding the maximum number $e_d(n)$ of pairs of touching circles in a packing of $n$ congruent circles of diameter $d$ in the hyperbolic plane of curvature $-1$. In the Euclidean plane, the maximum comes from a…

A $t$-fold blocking set of the finite Desarguesian plane $\mathrm{PG}(2,p^n)$, $p$ prime, is a set of points meeting each line of the plane in at least $t$ points. The minimum size of such sets is of interest for numerous reasons; however,…

A difference set with parameters $(v, k, \lambda)$ is a subset $D$ of cardinality $k$ in a finite group $G$ of order $v$, such that the number $\lambda$ of occurrences of $g \in G$ as the ratio $d^{-1}d'$ in distinct pairs $(d, d')\in…

John E. Littlewood posted the question {\em ``Is it possible in 3-space for seven infinite circular cylinders of unit radius each to touch all the others? Seven is the number suggested by counting constants.''} Boz\'oki, Lee, and R\'onyai…

We show that Blokhuis' quadratic upper bound for two-distance sets is sharp over finite fields in almost all dimensions. Our construction complements Lison\v{e}k's higher-dimensional maximal constructions that were carried out in Lorentz…

Let the root of the word $w$ be the smallest prefix $v$ of $w$ such that $w$ is a prefix of $vvv...$. $per(w)$ is the length of the root of $w$. For any $n\ge5$, an $n$-ary threshold word is a word $w$ such that for any factor (subword) $v$…

Lattices induced by coverings arise naturally in matroid theory and combinatorial optimization, providing a structured framework for analyzing relationships between independent sets and closures. In this paper, we explore the structural…

The square of a graph $G$, denoted $G^2$, has the same vertex set as $G$ and has an edge between two vertices if the distance between them in $G$ is at most $2$. Thomassen [12] showed that $\chi(G^2) \leq 7$ if $G$ is a subcubic planar…

This thesis studies skein relations in cluster algebras arising from punctured surfaces. We introduce skein-type identities expressing cluster variables associated with incompatible curves on a surface in terms of cluster variables…

Bumpless pipe dreams (BPDs) are combinatorial objects used in the study of Schubert and Grothendieck polynomials. Weigandt recently introduced a co-BPD object associated to each BPD and used them to give an analogue to the change of bases…

Let $\mathcal{P}_k(n)$ denote the set of partitions of $n$ whose largest part is bounded by $k,$ which are in well-known bijection with $(k+1)$-cores $\mathcal{C}_k$. We study a growth process on $\mathcal{C}_k$, whose stationary…

We investigate when a maximum distance separable ($MDS$) code over $F_q$ is also completely regular ($CR$). For lengths $n=q+1$ and $n=q+2$ we provide a complete classification of the $MDS$ codes that are $CR$ or at least uniformly packed…

A sign pattern is a matrix whose entries are from the set $\{+,-, 0\}$. A square sign pattern $A$ is called sign $k$-potent if $k$ is the smallest positive integer for which $A^{k+1}=A$, and for $k=1$, $A$ is called sign idempotent. In…

We introduce and study a loopless multigraph associated with a split graph $S$: the factor graph of $S$, denoted by $\Phi(S)$, which encodes the combinatorial information about 2-switch transformations over $S$. This construction provides a…

A sign pattern is a matrix that has entries from the set $\{+,-,0\}$. An $n\times n$ sign pattern $\mathcal{P}$ is called consistent if every real matrix in its qualitative class has exactly $k$ real eigenvalues and $n-k$ nonreal…

We study minimum vertex-degree conditions in 3-uniform hypergraphs for (tight) spanning components and (combinatorial) surfaces. Our main results show that a 3-uniform hypergraph $G$ on $n$ vertices contains a spanning component if…

Node-Kayles is a well-known impartial combinatorial game played on graphs, where players alternately select a vertex and remove it along with its neighbors. By the Sprague-Grundy theorem, every position of an impartial game corresponds to a…