algorithms Article Constructing Minimally 3-Connected Graphs João Paulo Costalonga 1,†, Robert J. Kingan 2,† and Sandra R. Kingan 3,*,† 1 Departamento de Matemática, Universidade Federal Do Espírito, Vitória 29075-910, Brazil;
[email protected] 2 Bloomberg LP, New York, NY 10165, USA;
[email protected] 3 Department of Mathematics, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: A 3-connected graph is minimally 3-connected if removal of any edge destroys 3-connectivity. We present an algorithm for constructing minimally 3-connected graphs based on the results in (Dawes, JCTB 40, 159-168, 1986) using two operations: adding an edge between non-adjacent vertices and splitting a vertex. To test sets of vertices and edges for 3-compatibility, which depends on the cycles of the graph, we develop a method for obtaining the cycles of G0 from the cycles of G, where G0 is obtained from G by one of the two operations above. We eliminate isomorphic duplicates using certificates generated by McKay’s isomorphism checker nauty. The algorithm consecutively constructs the non-isomorphic minimally 3-connected graphs with n vertices and m edges from the non-isomorphic minimally 3-connected graphs with n − 1 vertices and m − 2 edges, n − 1 vertices and m − 3 edges, and n − 2 vertices and m − 3 edges. Keywords: graphs; minors; minimal 3-connected graphs; cubic graphs; algorithm 1. Introduction In this paper, we present an algorithm for consecutively generating minimally 3- connected graphs, beginning with the prism graph, with the exception of two families.