Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Topics in algorithmic, enumerative and geometric combinatorics Ragnar Freij Division of Mathematics Department of Mathematical Sciences Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg G¨oteborg, Sweden 2012 Topics in algorithmic, enumerative and geometric combinatorics Ragnar Freij ISBN 978-91-7385-668-3 c Ragnar Freij, 2012. Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers Tekniska H¨ogskola Ny serie Nr 3349 ISSN 0346-718X Department of Mathematical Sciences Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg SE-412 96 GOTEBORG,¨ Sweden Phone: +46 (0)31-772 10 00
[email protected] Printed in G¨oteborg, Sweden, 2012 Topics in algorithmic, enumerative and geometric com- binatorics Ragnar Freij ABSTRACT This thesis presents five papers, studying enumerative and extremal problems on combinatorial structures. The first paper studies Forman’s discrete Morse theory in the case where a group acts on the underlying complex. We generalize the notion of a Morse matching, and obtain a theory that can be used to simplify the description of the G-homotopy type of a simplicial complex. As an application, we determine the S2 × Sn−2-homotopy type of the complex of non-connected graphs on n nodes. In the introduction, connections are drawn between the first paper and the evasiveness conjecture for monotone graph properties. In the second paper, we investigate Hansen polytopes of split graphs. By applying a partitioning technique, the number of nonempty faces is counted, and in particular we confirm Kalai’s 3d-conjecture for such polytopes. Further- more, a characterization of exactly which Hansen polytopes are also Hanner polytopes is given.