Equitable Partition Research Articles

Complete equitable decompositions

A classical result in spectral graph theory states that if a graph G has an equitable partition π then the eigenvalues of the divisor graph Gπ are a subset of its eigenvalues, i.e. σ(Gπ)⊆σ(G). A natural question is whether it is possible to recover the remaining eigenvalues σ(G)−σ(Gπ) in a similar manner. Here we show that any weighted undirected graph with nontrivial equitable partition can be decomposed into a number of subgraphs whose collective spectra contain these remaining eigenvalues. Using this decomposition, which we refer to as a complete equitable decomposition, we introduce an algorithm for finding the eigenvalues of an undirected graph (symmetric matrix) with a nontrivial equitable partition. Under mild assumptions on this equitable partition we show that we can find eigenvalues of such a graph faster using this method when compared to standard methods. This is potentially useful as many real-world data sets are quite large and have a nontrivial equitable partition.

Minimal specialization: Coevolution of network structure and dynamics

The changing topology of a network is driven by the need to maintain or optimize network function. As this function is often related to moving quantities such as traffic, information, etc., efficiently through the network, the structure of the network and the dynamics on the network directly depend on the other. To model this interplay of network structure and dynamics we use the dynamics on the network, or the dynamical processes the network models, to influence the dynamics of the network structure, i.e., to determine where and when to modify the network structure. We model the dynamics on the network using Jackson network dynamics and the dynamics of the network structure using minimal specialization, a variant of the more general network growth model known as specialization. The resulting model, which we refer to as the integrated specialization model, coevolves both the structure and the dynamics of the network. We show that by reducing dynamic bottlenecks, i.e. reducing the network’s maximal asymptotic load, this model simultaneously produces networks with real-world like properties. This includes right-skewed degree distributions, sparsity, the small-world property, and non-trivial equitable partitions. Additionally, when compared to other growth models, the integrated specialization model creates networks with small diameter, minimizing distances across the network. The result are networks that have both dynamic and structural features that allow quantities to more efficiently move through the network.

On Some Distance Spectral Characteristics of Trees

Graham and Pollack in 1971 presented applications of eigenvalues of the distance matrix in addressing problems in data communication systems. Spectral graph theory employs tools from linear algebra to retrieve the properties of a graph from the spectrum of graph-theoretic matrices. The study of graphs with “few eigenvalues” is a contemporary problem in spectral graph theory. This paper studies graphs with few distinct distance eigenvalues. After mentioning the classification of graphs with one and two distinct distance eigenvalues, we mainly focus on graphs with three distinct distance eigenvalues. Characterizing graphs with three distinct distance eigenvalues is “highly” non-trivial. In this paper, we classify all trees whose distance matrix has precisely three distinct eigenvalues. Our proof is different from earlier existing proof of the result as our proof is extendable to other similar families such as unicyclic and bicyclic graphs. The main tools which we employ include interlacing and equitable partitions. We also list all the connected graphs on ν ≤ 6 vertices and compute their distance spectra. Importantly, all these graphs on ν ≤ 6 vertices are determined from their distance spectra. We deliver a distance cospectral pair of order 7, thus making it a distance cospectral pair of the smallest order. This paper is concluded with some future directions.

A generalization of Fiedler's lemma and its applications

In this article, taking a Fiedler's result on the spectrum of a matrix formed from two symmetric matrices as a motivation, we deduce a more general result on the eigenvalues of a matrix, which form from n symmetric matrices. As an important application, we obtain the adjacency spectra, Laplacian spectra and signless Laplacian spectra of a graph with a particular almost equitable partition.

A note on heat kernel of graphs

Consider a simple undirected connected graph G, with D(G) and A(G) representing its degree and adjacency matrices, respectively. Furthermore, L(G)=D(G)−A(G) is the Laplacian matrix of G, and Ht=exp⁡(−tL(G)) is the heat kernel (HK) of G, with t>0 denoting the time variable. For a vertex u∈V(G), the uth element of the diagonal of the HK is defined as Ht(u,u)=(exp⁡(−tL(G)))uu=∑k=0∞((−tL(G))k)uuk!, and HE(G)=∑i=1ne−tλi=∑u=1nHt(u,u) is the HK trace of G, where λ1,λ2,⋯,λn denote the eigenvalues of L(G). This study provides new computational formulas for the HK diagonal entries of graphs using an almost equitable partition and the Schur complement technique. We also provide bounds for the HK trace of the graphs.

Multi-type synchronization for coupled van der Pol oscillator systems with multiple coupling modes.

In this paper, we investigate synchronous solutions of coupled van der Pol oscillator systems with multiple coupling modes using the theory of rotating periodic solutions. Multiple coupling modes refer to two or three types of coupling modes in van der Pol oscillator networks, namely, position, velocity, and acceleration. Rotating periodic solutions can represent various types of synchronous solutions corresponding to different phase differences of coupled oscillators. When matrices representing the topology of different coupling modes have symmetry, the overall symmetry of the oscillator system depends on the intersection of the symmetries of the different topologies, determining the type of synchronous solutions for the coupled oscillator network. When matrices representing the topology of different coupling modes lack symmetry, if the adjacency matrices representing different coupling modes can be simplified into structurally identical quotient graphs (where weights can be proportional) through the same external equitable partition, the symmetry of the quotient graph determines the synchronization type of the original system. All these results are consistent with multi-layer networks where connections between different layers are one-to-one.

Group consensus of nonlinear semi-Markov multi-agent systems by a quantity limited controller

This paper solves the group consensus problem of incremental quadratic constraints nonlinear multi-agent systems with semi-Markov switching parameters via a quantity limited controller. The quantity limited controller is designed according to the stationary probability distribution of the system modes, and the number of controllers can be selected from 1 to the number of system modes. Therefore, the controller can be applied in cases where there is a mismatch between the number of system modes and the number of controllers. Next, the more general incremental quadratic constraint is used to handle the nonlinear terms. Finally, in the simulation section, the method of adding topology links is used to implement external equitable partitions of arbitrary topologies, and the validity of the proposed method is verified by a spring damping system.

New Results on the Robust Coloring Problem

Many variations of the classical graph coloring model have been intensively studied due to their multiple applications; scheduling problems and aircraft assignments, for instance, motivate the robust coloring problem. This model gets to capture natural constraints of those optimization problems by combining the information provided by two colorings: a vertex coloring of a graph and the induced edge coloring on a subgraph of its complement; the goal is to minimize, among all proper colorings of the graph for a fixed number of colors, the number of edges in the subgraph with the endpoints of the same color. The study of the robust coloring model has been focused on the search for heuristics due to its NP-hard character when using at least three colors, but little progress has been made in other directions. We present a new approach on the problem obtaining the first collection of non-heuristic results for general graphs; among them, we prove that robust coloring is the model that better approaches the equitable partition of the vertex set, even when the graph does not admit a so-called equitable coloring. We also show the NP-completeness of its decision problem for the unsolved case of two colors, obtain bounds on the associated robust coloring parameter, and solve a conjecture on paths that illustrates the complexity of studying this coloring model.

Perfect state transfer, equitable partition and continuous-time quantum walk based search

Perfect state transfer, equitable partition and continuous-time quantum walk based search

On the spectra and spectral radii of token graphs

Let G be a graph on n vertices. The k-token graph (or symmetric k-th power) of G, denoted by Fk(G)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$F_k(G)$$\\end{document}, has as vertices the nk\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${n\\atopwithdelims ()k}$$\\end{document}k-subsets of vertices from G, and two vertices are adjacent when their symmetric difference is a pair of adjacent vertices in G. In particular, Fk(Kn)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$F_k(K_n)$$\\end{document} is the Johnson graph J(n, k), which is a distance-regular graph used in coding theory. In this paper, we present some results concerning the (adjacency and Laplacian) spectrum of Fk(G)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$F_k(G)$$\\end{document} in terms of the spectrum of G. For instance, when G is walk-regular, an exact value for the spectral radius ρ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\rho $$\\end{document} (or maximum eigenvalue) of Fk(G)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$F_k(G)$$\\end{document} is obtained. When G is distance-regular, other eigenvalues of its 2-token graph are derived using the theory of equitable partitions. A generalization of Aldous’ spectral gap conjecture (which is now a theorem) is proposed.

Equitable cluster partition of graphs with small maximum average degree

Equitable cluster partition of graphs with small maximum average degree

Graph Partitions in Chemistry.

We study partitions (equitable, externally equitable, or other) of graphs that describe physico-chemical systems at the atomic or molecular level; provide examples that show how these partitions are intimately related with symmetries of the systems; and discuss how such a link can further lead to insightful relations with the systems' physical and chemical properties. We define a particular kind of graph partition, which we call Chemical Equitable Partition (CEP), accounting for chemical composition as well as connectivity and associate it with a quantitative measure of information reduction that accompanies its derivation. These concepts are applied to model molecular and crystalline solid systems, illustrating their potential as a means to classify atoms according to their chemical or crystallographic role. We also cluster materials in meaningful manners that take their microstructure into account and even correlate them with the materials' physical properties.

Spectra of zero-divisor graphs of finite reduced rings

Let [Formula: see text] be a finite reduced ring with [Formula: see text] maximal ideals [Formula: see text] and let [Formula: see text] be the zero-divisor graph associated to [Formula: see text] The class of rings [Formula: see text] contains the Boolean rings as a subclass. When [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is a finite field, we associate two [Formula: see text] sized matrices [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] to the graph [Formula: see text] having combinatorial entries and use these matrices to determine the spectrum of this graph. More precisely, we show that every eigenvalue of [Formula: see text] and of [Formula: see text] is an eigenvalue of [Formula: see text] To do this, we give a recursive description of the adjacency matrix of this graph and also exhibit its equitable partition. This is used in computing the determinant, rank and nullity of the adjacency matrix. Further, we propose that the eigenvalues of [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and the eigenvalue [Formula: see text] exhaust all the eigenvalues of [Formula: see text]

Sectorial coverage control with load balancing in non-convex hollow environments

It has long been a challenging task for multi-agent systems (MASs) to inexpensively service probable events in non-convex environments. Coverage control provides an efficient framework to address MAS deployment problem for optimizing the cost of tackling unknown events. By means of the divide-and-conquer methodology, this paper proposes a sectorial coverage formulation to configure MASs in non-convex hollow environments while ensuring load balancing among subregions. Thereby, a distributed controller is designed to drive each agent towards a desirable configuration that minimizes the coverage cost by simultaneously adopting sectorial partition mechanism. Theoretical analysis is conducted to ensure the asymptotic stability of closed-loop MASs with exponential convergence of equitable partition. In addition, a circular search algorithm is proposed to identify desirable solutions to such a sectorial coverage problem, which guarantees approximating the optimal deployment of MASs with arbitrarily small tolerance. Finally, both numerical simulations and multi-robot experiments are conducted to substantiate the efficiency of the present sectorial coverage approach.

Hierarchical community structure in networks.

Modular and hierarchical community structures are pervasive in real-world complex systems. A great deal of effort has gone into trying to detect and study these structures. Important theoretical advances in the detection of modular have included identifying fundamental limits of detectability by formally defining community structure using probabilistic generative models. Detecting hierarchical community structure introduces additional challenges alongside those inherited from community detection. Here we present a theoretical study on hierarchical community structure in networks, which has thus far not received the same rigorous attention. We address the following questions. (1) How should we define a hierarchy of communities? (2) How do we determine if there is sufficient evidence of a hierarchical structure in a network? (3) How can we detect hierarchical structure efficiently? We approach these questions by introducing a definition of hierarchy based on the concept of stochastic externally equitable partitions and their relation to probabilistic models, such as the popular stochastic block model. We enumerate the challenges involved in detecting hierarchies and, by studying the spectral properties of hierarchical structure, present an efficient and principled method for detecting them.

Perfect Colorings of the Infinite Square Grid: Coverings and Twin Colors

A perfect coloring (equivalent concepts are equitable partition and partition design) of a graph $G$ is a function $f$ from the set of vertices onto some finite set (of colors) such that every node of color $i$ has exactly $S(i,j)$ neighbors of color $j$, where $S(i,j)$ are constants, forming the matrix $S$ called quotient. If $S$ is an adjacency matrix of some simple graph $T$ on the set of colors, then $f$ is called a covering of the target graph $T$ by the cover graph $G$. We characterize all coverings by the infinite square grid, proving that every such coloring is either orbit (that is, corresponds to the orbit partition under the action of some group of graph automorphisms) or has twin colors (that is, two colors such that unifying them keeps the coloring perfect). The case of twin colors is separately classified.

Improved multi-agent controllability processing technique based on equitable partition

In this paper, we study the controllability of multi-agent systems by equitable partition and automorphism. For the case that cells are incompletely connected outside but completely connected inside, a necessary condition for controllability is given from the perspective of the rank of connection matrix. For the case of multiple cells being completely connected outside and incompletely connected inside, in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of L and Lπ, several sufficient and necessary conditions for controllability are presented. Once the quotient graph is controllable under single input or all nodes in nontrivial cells are leaders, the lower bound of controllable subspace is determined. Finally, we give the gap between the necessary condition and the sufficient condition for controllability from the aspect of equitable partition. One highlight of the results in this paper is that we show sufficient conditions to judge controllability by equitable partition and automorphism, which, for specific cases, provides one method that how to break through the defect that equitable partition can only obtain necessary conditions.

On spectral polynomial of splices and links of graphs

The spectral polynomial of a graph is the characteristic polynomial of its adjacency matrix. Spectral polynomial of the splice and links of complete graph and star have been obatined recently in the literature. In this paper we generalize these results using the concept of equitable partition.

Perfect 3-colorings of Cubic Graphs of Order 8

Perfect coloring is a generalization of the notion of completely regular codes, given by Delsarte. A perfect $m$-coloring of a graph $G$ with $m$ colors is a partition of the vertex set of $G$ into m parts $A_1$, $\dots$, $A_m$ such that, for all $ i,j\in \lbrace 1,\cdots ,m\rbrace $, every vertex of $A_i$ is adjacent to the same number of vertices, namely, $a_{ij}$ vertices, of $A_j$ . The matrix $A=(a_{ij})_{i,j\in \lbrace 1,\cdots ,m\rbrace }$ is called the parameter matrix. We study the perfect 3-colorings (also known as the equitable partitions into three parts) of the cubic graphs of order $8$. In particular, we classify all the realizable parameter matrices of perfect 3-colorings for the cubic graphs of order 8.

Strong cospectrality and twin vertices in weighted graphs

We explore algebraic and spectral properties of weighted graphs containing twin vertices that are useful in quantum state transfer. We extend the notion of adjacency strong cospectrality to Hermitian matrices, with focus on the generalized adjacency matrix and the generalized normalized adjacency matrix. We then determine necessary and sufficient conditions such that a pair of twin vertices in a weighted graph exhibits strong cospectrality with respect to the above-mentioned matrices. We also determine when strong cospectrality is preserved under Cartesian and direct products of graphs. Moreover, we generalize known results about equitable and almost equitable partitions and use these to determine which joins of the form $X\vee H$, where $X$ is either the complete or empty graph, exhibit strong cospectrality.