Lass, Matching Polynomials and Duality 2004
Lass, Matching Polynomials and Duality 2004
C OM BIN A TORIC A
Bolyai Society – Springer-Verlag
BODO LASS
1. Introduction
0209–9683/104/$6.00 2004
c János Bolyai Mathematical Society
428 BODO LASS
show that the matching functions e−x /2 µ(G, x) and e−x /2 µ(G, x) are, up
2 2
where Kn1 · · · Knk denotes the vertex disjoint union of the complete
graphs Kn1 , . . . , Knk . Even this formula has been neglected in physics (for
instance, in [5] there is no consideration of duality at all) as can be seen
from the fact that Itzykson and Zuber [6] need a whole page to solve their
integral (3.5), the result being evident from the previous formula.
The second step was the realization, due to Godsil [4], that, more gener-
ally,
∞
1
e−x /2 · µ(G, x) · dx,
2
µ(G, 0) = √
2π −∞
the equation µ(Kn1 , x) · · · µ(Knk , x) = µ(Kn1 · · · Knk , x) being evident.
Finally, the last step of duality theory is the derivation of direct formulas
for the matching polynomials of the complementary graph. In this context
Godsil mainly proposed
n/2
µ(G, x) = p(G, r) · µ(Kn−2r , x),
r=0
is a specialization of theorem 2.4 in [4], that Godsil did not reproduce in his
book [3].
2. Algebraic tools
f : 2V → A
V ⊆ V → f (V ) ∈ A
V ∪ V , if V ∩ V = ∅,
V + V :=
†, if V ∩ V = ∅, where
† + V := †, † + † := †, and ν † := 0.
if V contains n elements.
MATCHING POLYNOMIALS AND DUALITY 431
Let
V := ν {v}
v∈V
It is evident that this definition is compatible with the addition and the
multiplication. Most important are the special cases t = −1 and t = 0: Ff (0) =
Ff (0·ν) = f (∅). If Ff (0) = 0, then Ff (ν)n /n! is defined for any ring A, because
a partition into n nonempty subsets can be ordered in n! different ways.
Thus we have an operation of A![[V ]] on A[V ] via the substitution G(Ff (ν))
defined for any G ∈ A![[V ]].
Finally, define for any f, g : 2V → A the function f ∗ g : 2V → A by
(f ∗ g)(V ) := f (V ) · g(V )
for each V ⊆ V and define the Hadamard product to be
Ff (ν) ∗ Fg (ν) := Ff ∗g (ν).
3. Duality theorems
Let G = (V, E) be a finite simple graph and let G = (V, E) be its complement.
We have identified V with the generating function of the indicator function
of the one-element subsets of V , and we have realized that V 2 /2 corresponds
to the indicator function of the two-element subsets of V . Similarly, we
identify E and E with the generating functions of the indicator functions of
E, E ⊆ 2V . Since every two-element subset of V either belongs to E or to E,
we have the following fundamental identity, valid in the ring A[V ]:
E + E = V2 /2.
MATCHING POLYNOMIALS AND DUALITY 433
The following proposition was proved in [8], 5.18, for the case of perfect
matchings.
Proposition. c(G) ≡ p(G) mod 2.
Proof. Using the previous three identities we have
From the very definitions of the matching polynomials we have the fol-
lowing generating functions:
1+ µ(G[V ], x) · ν V = exp[xV − E],
∅⊂V ⊆V
1+ µ(G[V ], x) · ν V = exp[xV + E].
∅⊂V ⊆V
2
2 /2] · µ(G, x),
d
µ(G, x) = exp[ dx
2
2 /2] · µ(G, x).
d
µ(G, x) = exp[− dx
Proof. As in the preceding proof,
exp[xV + E] = exp[V 2 /2] · exp[xV − E]
2
2 /2] · exp[xV − E],
d
= exp[ dx
2
because dxd
exp[xV −E] = V ·exp[xV −E]. The differential operator exp[− dx
d
2 /2]
d2
is the inverse of exp[ dx2 /2].
d
Duality theorem for the matching polynomials ( dx ).
µ(G, x) = e−x
2 /2 2 /2
· µ(G, dx
d
) · ex ,
x2 /2 −x2 /2
µ(G, x) = e · µ(G, − dx
d
)·e .
Proof. By the Taylor formula we know that
d
f (x + a) = exp[ dx a] · f (x)
for variables x, a and a formal power series f . It follows that
exp[−x2 /2] · exp[ dx
d
V − E] · exp[x2 /2]
= exp[−x2 /2] · exp[−E] · exp[ dx
d
V ] · exp[x2 /2]
= exp[−x2 /2] · exp[−E] · exp[(x + V )2 /2]
= exp[xV + E].
The second equality is proved in the same way.
Specializing the second equality of the preceding theorem to Hermite
polynomials, i.e. replacing G by Kn , provides the classical definition of Her-
mite polynomials. However, we could not find the specialization to Hermite
polynomials of the first equality, i.e. the differential operator Hen (d/dx), in
the literature.
Finally, we can prove several integral formulae.
MATCHING POLYNOMIALS AND DUALITY 435
Duality theorem for the matching polynomials ( ).
∞
1
e−(x−y)
2 /2
µ(G, y) = √ · µ(G, x) · dx.
2π −∞
Proof. The first equality being evident from the previous theorem, we just
have to prove the second one:
d
exp[ dx V + E ] · exp[xV + E ]
x=0
= exp[E ] · exp[(x + V )V + E ]
x=0
= exp[V V + E + E ].
4. Zeros
From now on every edge {u, v} ∈ E of our graph G = (V, E) will get a positive
real weight w{u,v} (we can assume that the two-element subsets of V which
are not edges get the weight zero). This weighted graph will be denoted
by Gw = (V, Ew ). In particular, Ew will be identified with the generating
function of the set function which attributes the value 0 to all subsets of
V with the only exception of the edges of G, which get their own weights.
The (weighted) matching polynomial can be defined with the help of its
generating function:
1+ µ(Gw [V ], x) · ν V = exp[xV − Ew ].
∅⊂V ⊆V
We see that every matching is counted with respect to its weight: the product
of the weights of its edges.
A Hamiltonian cycle of Gw is a cyclic order of V and its weight is the
product of the weights of its n = |V | edges corresponding to two consecu-
tive vertices in the cyclic order. In particular, if the edge corresponding to
two consecutive vertices in the cyclic order does not belong to the graph
(equivalently, has weight zero), then the weight of that “Hamiltonian cycle”
is equal to zero. Let cyc(Gw ) be the sum of the weights of all Hamiltonian
cycles of Gw , with the convention that cyc(Gw ) = 1 if n = 1. We assume
MATCHING POLYNOMIALS AND DUALITY 437
that the weight of each edge in the complete graph Kn is equal to 1, so that
cyc(Kn ) = (n − 1)!.
A Hamiltonian path of Gw is a linear order of V and its weight is the
product of the weights of its n − 1 edges corresponding to two consecutive
vertices in the linear order. Let lin(Gw ) be the sum of the weights of all
Hamiltonian paths of Gw , with the convention that lin(Gw ) = 1 if n = 1.
Clearly, lin(Kn ) = n!.
Let us put
cycGw (ν) := cyc(Gw [V ])·ν V , linGw (ν) := lin(Gw [V ])·ν V .
∅⊂V ⊆V ∅⊂V ⊆V
Usually (in undirected graphs) one does not distinguish between the two
different directions of Hamiltonian cycles or paths. In this sense cycGw (ν)
and linGw (ν) count them “twice”. Now we can prove our generalization of
the Mehler formula.
Theorem. Using the Hadamard product ∗ we have:
exp[xV − Ew ] ∗ exp[yV − Ew ]
1 1
= exp · cycGw (ν) + · cycGw (−ν) ·
2 2
x−y 2 x+y 2
exp − · linGw (ν) − · linGw (−ν) .
2 2
Proof. Two matchings of Gw to be considered in the left hand side of the
theorem provide a partition of V into even Hamiltonian cycles (to be counted
“twice”, because the matchings can be interchanged), even (according to the
number of vertices) Hamiltonian paths (to be counted with the factor −x2 or
−y 2 , because the number of edges of the paths is odd) and odd Hamiltonian
paths (to be counted with the factor 2xy). Thus the left hand side is equal
to
cycGw (ν) + cycGw (−ν)
exp ·2 ·
4
linGw (ν) + linGw (−ν)
exp · (−x2 − y 2 ) ·
4
linGw (ν) − linGw (−ν)
exp · 2xy .
4
438 BODO LASS
Corollary (Mehler).
∞
1+ µ(Kn , x)µ(Kn , y)·V n /n! = √ 1
1−V 2
·exp[( x+y
2 ) · 1+V
2 V −( x−y
2 ) · 1−V ].
2 V
n=1
Corollary.
exp[xV − Ew ] ∗ exp[xV − Ew ]
1 1
= exp · cycGw (ν) + · cycGw (−ν) ·
2 2
exp[( m x)2 · linGw (ν) − (e x)2 · linGw (−ν)]
= exp[( m x)2 · linGw (ν)] · exp[(e x)V − Ew ] ∗ exp[(e x)V − Ew ] .
Therefore |µ(Gw , x)|2 ≥ [( m x)2 ]n +2W ·[( m x)2 ]n−1 for every x ∈ C, where
W is the sum of the weights of all edges of Gw . In particular, all zeros of
µ(Gw , x) are real.
between vertices of V . The weights of the edges of Gw are still assumed to
be positive, whereas the weights of the edges of Gw are supposed to be such
that for each v ∈ V the weights of the edges incident with v all have the
same sign, i.e. they are all positive or all negative.
Let exp[xV + V − Ew − E ] be the generating function of our general-
w
ized matching polynomials, and let cycGw (ν) count the Hamiltonian cycles
“twice”. Moreover, let linGw (ν), linGw (ν), linGw (ν) count the Hamiltonian
paths “twice” which have both endpoints in V , one endpoint in V and one
endpoint in V , both endpoints in V , respectively. (Note that linGw (ν) is
nonnegative by our restrictions on the weights.)
MATCHING POLYNOMIALS AND DUALITY 439
Theorem.
exp[xV + V − Ew
− Ew
] ∗ exp[yV + V − Ew
− Ew
]
1 1
= exp · cycGw (ν) + · cycGw (−ν) ·
2 2
x−y 2 x+y 2
exp − · linGw (ν) − · linGw (−ν) ·
2
2
x+y
exp − · linGw (−ν) · exp[− linGw (−ν)].
2
Proof. Clearly, both sides of the equality are equal to
cycGw (ν)+ cycGw (−ν)
exp ·2 ·
4
linGw (ν)+ linGw (−ν) linGw (ν)− linGw (−ν)
exp · (−x2 −y 2 ) · exp · 2xy ·
4 4
linGw (ν)+ linGw (−ν) linGw (ν)− linGw (−ν)
exp (−x−y) · exp (x+y) ·
4 4
linGw (ν)+ linGw (−ν) linGw (ν)− linGw (−ν)
exp · (−2) · exp ·2 .
4 4
Corollary.
exp[xV + V − Ew
− Ew
] ∗ exp[xV + V − Ew
− Ew ]
1 1
= exp · cycGw (ν) + · cycGw (−ν) ·
2 2
exp[( m x)2 · linGw (ν) − (e x)2 · linGw (−ν)] ·
exp[−(e x) · linGw (−ν)] · exp[− linGw (−ν)]
= exp[( m x)2 · linGw (ν)] ·
exp[(e x)V + V − Ew
− Ew ] ∗ exp[(e x)V + V − Ew
− Ew ] .
Since linGw (ν) is nonnegative, all zeros of our generalized matching polyno-
mial are real.
References
Bodo Lass
Lehrstuhl II für Mathematik
RWTH Aachen
Templergraben 55
D-52062 Aachen
Germany
lass@math2.rwth-aachen.de
and
Institut Girard Desargues (UMR 5028 du CNRS)
Université Claude Bernard – Lyon 1
Bâtiment Doyen Jean Braconnier (101)
43, Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918
F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex
France
lass@igd.univ-lyon1.fr