Counting plane graphs: Perfect matchings, spanning cycles, and Kasteleyn's technique

Micha Sharir*, Adam Sheffer, Emo Welzl

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

We derive improved upper bounds on the number of crossing-free straight-edge spanning cycles (also known as Hamiltonian tours and simple polygonizations) that can be embedded over any specific set of N points in the plane. More specifically, we bound the ratio between the number of spanning cycles (or perfect matchings) that can be embedded over a point set and the number of triangulations that can be embedded over it. The respective bounds are O(1.8181 N) for cycles and O(1.1067 N) for matchings. These imply a new upper bound of O(54.543 N) on the number of crossing-free straight-edge spanning cycles that can be embedded over any specific set of N points in the plane (improving upon the previous best upper bound O(68.664 N)). Our analysis is based on a weighted variant of Kasteleyn's linear algebra technique.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 28th Annual Symposuim on Computational Geometry, SCG 2012
Pages189-198
Number of pages10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Event28th Annual Symposuim on Computational Geometry, SCG 2012 - Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Duration: 17 Jun 201220 Jun 2012

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computational Geometry

Conference

Conference28th Annual Symposuim on Computational Geometry, SCG 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChapel Hill, NC
Period17/06/1220/06/12

Funding

FundersFunder number
EuroCores/EuroGiga/ComPoSe SNF20GG21_134318/1
Israel Science Fund
National Science FoundationCCF-08-30272, 2006/194
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation
Tel Aviv University
Israeli Centers for Research Excellence4/11

    Keywords

    • Kasteleyn's Technique
    • Perfect matchings
    • Spanning cycles
    • Triangulations

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