Mark Kempton

• University of California, San Diego

The parameter $q(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the minimum number of distinct eigenvalues of a symmetric matrix whose pattern is given by $G$. We introduce a novel graph product by which we construct new infinite families of graphs that achieve $q(G)=2$. Several graph families for which it is already known that $q(G)=2$ can also be thought of as arising fr...

A result of Bapat and Sivasubramanian gives the inertia of the squared distance matrix of a tree. We develop general tools on how pendant vertices and vertices of degree 2 affect the inertia of the squared distance matrix and use these to give an alternative proof of this result. We further use these tools to extend this result to certain families...

We study Nordhaus-Gaddum problems for Kemeny's constant $\mathcal{K}(G)$ of a connected graph $G$. We prove bounds on $\min\{\mathcal{K}(G),\mathcal{K}(\overline{G})\}$ and the product $\mathcal{K}(G)\mathcal{K}(\overline{G})$ for various families of graphs. In particular, we show that if the maximum degree of a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices is $n-O(1)...

We study the problem of enumerating Braess edges for Kemeny's constant in trees. We obtain bounds and asympotic results for the number of Braess edges in some families of trees.

We determine upper and lower bounds on the zero forcing number of 2-connected outerplanar graphs in terms of the structure of the weak dual. We show that the upper bound is always at most half the number of vertices of the graph. This work generalizes work of Hern\'andez, Ranilla and Ranilla-Cortina who proved a similar result for maximal outerplan...

For a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices with normalized Laplacian eigenvalues $0 = \lambda_1(G) \leq \lambda_2(G) \leq \cdots \leq \lambda_n(G)$ and graph complement $G^c$, we prove that \begin{equation*} \max\{\lambda_2(G),\lambda_2(G^c)\}\geq \frac{2}{n^2}. \end{equation*} We do this by way of lower bounding $\max\{i(G), i(G^c)\}$ and $\max\{h(G), h(G^c)...

An important facet of the inverse eigenvalue problem for graphs is to determine the minimum number of distinct eigenvalues of a particular graph. We resolve this question for the join of a connected graph with a path. We then focus on bordering a matrix and attempt to control the change in the number of distinct eigenvalues induced by this operatio...

Kemeny's constant for a connected graph G$$ G $$ is the expected time for a random walk to reach a randomly chosen vertex u$$ u $$, regardless of the choice of the initial vertex. We extend the definition of Kemeny's constant to nonbacktracking random walks and compare it to Kemeny's constant for simple random walks. We explore the relationship bet...

We give a new formula for computing the isospectral reduction of a matrix (and graph) down to a submatrix (or subgraph). Using this, we generalize the notion of isospectral reductions. In addition, we give a procedure for constructing a matrix whose isospectral reduction down to a submatrix is given. We also prove that the isospectral reduction com...

In this paper, we consider three variations on standard PageRank: Non-backtracking PageRank, $\mu$-PageRank, and $\infty$-PageRank, all of which alter the standard formula by adjusting the likelihood of backtracking in the algorithm's random walk. We show that in the case of regular and bipartite biregular graphs, standard PageRank and its variants...

A result of Bapat and Sivasubramanian gives the inertia of the distance squared matrix of a tree. We develop general tools on how pendant vertices and degree 2 vertices affect the inertia of the distance squared matrix and use these to give an alternative proof of this result. We further use these tools to extend this result to certain families of...

We develop a general spectral framework to analyze quantum fractional revival in quantum spin networks. In particular, we determine when the adjacency algebra of a graph contains a matrix of a block diagonal form required for fractional revival, and introduce generalizations of the notions of cospectral and strongly cospectral vertices to arbitrary...

In this article, we extend the notion of the Laplacian spread to simple directed graphs (digraphs) using the restricted numerical range. First, we provide Laplacian spread values for several families of digraphs. Then, we prove sharp upper bounds on the Laplacian spread for all polygonal and balanced digraphs. In particular, we show that the validi...

We conjecture a new lower bound on the algebraic connectivity of a graph that involves the number of vertices of high eccentricity in a graph. We prove that this lower bound implies a strengthening of the Laplacian Spread Conjecture. We discuss further conjectures, also strengthening the Laplacian Spread Conjecture, that include a conjecture for si...

Kemeny's constant for a connected graph $G$ is the expected time for a random walk to reach a randomly-chosen vertex $u$, regardless of the choice of the initial vertex. We extend the definition of Kemeny's constant to non-backtracking random walks and compare it to Kemeny's constant for simple random walks. We explore the relationship between thes...

We conjecture a new lower bound on the algebraic connectivity of a graph that involves the number of vertices of high eccentricity in a graph. We prove that this lower bound implies a strengthening of the Laplacian Spread Conjecture. We discuss further conjectures, also strengthening the Laplacian Spread Conjecture, that include a conjecture for si...

Kemeny’s constant of a simple connected graph G is the expected length of a random walk from i to any given vertex \(j \ne i\). We provide a simple method for computing Kemeny’s constant for 1-separable graphs via effective resistance methods from electrical network theory. Using this formula, we furnish a simple proof that the path graph on n vert...

The universal cyclic edge-connectivity of a graph G is the least k such that there exists a set of k edges whose removal disconnects G into components where every component contains a cycle. We show that for graphs of minimum degree at least 3 and girth g at least 4, the universal cyclic edge-connectivity is bounded above by \((\Delta -2)g\) where...

Kemeny's constant of a simple connected graph $G$ is the expected length of a random walk from $i$ to any given vertex $j \neq i$. We provide a simple method for computing Kemeny's constant for 1-separable via effective resistance methods from electrical network theory. Using this formula, we furnish a simple proof that the path graph on $n$ vertic...

We investigate the spectrum of the non-backtracking matrix of a graph. In particular, we show how to obtain eigenvectors of the non-backtracking matrix in terms of eigenvectors of a smaller matrix. In doing so, we create a block diagonal decomposition of the non-backtracking matrix, more clearly expressing its eigenvalues. Furthermore, we find an e...

We investigate the spectrum of the non-backtracking matrix of a graph. In particular, we show how to obtain eigenvectors of the non-backtracking matrix in terms of eigenvectors of a smaller matrix. Furthermore, we find an expression for the eigenvalues of the non-backtracking matrix in terms of eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix and use this to up...

We define a hybrid between Ollivier and Bakry-Emery curvature on graphs with dependence on a variable neighborhood. The hexagonal lattice is non-negatively curved under this new curvature notion. Bonnet-Myers diameter bounds and Lichnerowicz eigenvalue estimates follow from the standard arguments. We prove gradient estimates similar to the ones obt...

We obtain a general formula for the resistance distance (or effective resistance) between any pair of nodes in a general family of graphs which we call flower graphs. Flower graphs are obtained from identifying nodes of multiple copies of a given base graph in a cyclic way. We apply our general formula to two specific families of flower graphs, whe...

We initiate the study of approximate quantum fractional revival in graphs, a generalization of pretty good quantum state transfer in graphs. We give a complete characterization of approximate fractional revival in a graph in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the adjacency matrix of a graph. This characterization follows from a lemma due...

We develop a general spectral framework to analyze quantum fractional revival in quantum spin networks. In particular, we introduce generalizations of the notions of cospectral and strongly cospectral vertices to arbitrary subsets of vertices, and give various examples. This work resolves two open questions of Chan et.~al. ["Quantum Fractional Revi...

A spanning 2-forest separating vertices u and v of an undirected connected graph is a spanning forest with 2 components such that u and v are in distinct components. Aside from their combinatorial significance, spanning 2-forests have an important application to the calculation of resistance distance or effective resistance. The resistance distance...

The cyclic edge-connectivity of a graph $G$ is the least $k$ such that there exists a set of $k$ edges whose removal disconnects $G$ into components where every component contains a cycle. We show the cyclic edge-connectivity is defined for graphs with minimum degree at least 3 and girth at least 4, as long as $G$ is not $K_{t,3}$. From the proof o...

Two emerging topics in graph theory are the study of cospectral vertices of a graph, and the study of isospectral reductions of graphs. In this paper, we prove a fundamental relationship between these two areas, which is that two vertices of a graph are cospectral if and only if the isospectral reduction over these vertices has a nontrivial automor...

Two emerging topics in graph theory are the study of cospectral vertices of a graph, and the study of isospectral reductions of graphs. In this paper, we prove a fundamental relationship between these two areas, which is that two vertices of a graph are cospectral if and only if the isospectral reduction over these vertices has a nontrivial automor...

We define a hybrid between Ollvier and Bakry Emery curvature on graphs with dependence on a variable neighborhood. The hexagonal lattice is non-negatively curved under this new curvature notion. Bonnet-Myers diameter bounds and Lichnerowicz eigenvalue estimates follow from the standard arguments. We prove gradient estimates similar to the ones obta...

A spanning 2-forest separating vertices $u$ and $v$ of an undirected connected graph is a spanning forest with 2 components such that $u$ and $v$ are in distinct components. Aside from their combinatorial significance, spanning 2-forests have an important application to the calculation of resistance distance or effective resistance. The resistance...

We construct infinite families of graphs in which pretty good state transfer can be induced by adding a potential to the nodes of the graph (i.e. adding a number to a diagonal entry of the adjacency matrix). Indeed, we show that given any graph with a pair of cospectral nodes, a simple modification of the graph, along with a suitable potential, yie...

We construct infinite families of graphs in which pretty good state transfer can be induced by adding a potential to the nodes of the graph (i.e. adding a number to a diagonal entry of the adjacency matrix). Indeed, we show that given any graph with a pair of cospectral nodes, a simple modification of the graph, along with a suitable potential, yie...

Quantum walks, an important tool in quantum computing, have been very successfully investigated using techniques in algebraic graph theory. We are motivated by the study of state transfer in continuous-time quantum walks, which is understood to be a rare and interesting phenomenon. We consider a perturbation on an edge $uv$ of a graph where we add...

Quantum walks, an important tool in quantum computing, have been very successfully investigated using techniques in algebraic graph theory. We are motivated by the study of state transfer in continuous-time quantum walks, which is understood to be a rare and interesting phenomenon. We consider a perturbation on an edge $uv$ of a graph where we add...

We prove a homology vanishing theorem for graphs with positive Bakry-\'Emery curvature, analogous to a classic result of Bochner on manifolds \cite{Bochner}. Specifically, we prove that if a graph has positive curvature at every vertex, then its first homology group is trivial, where the notion of homology that we use for graphs is the path homolog...

We study pretty good single-excitation quantum state transfer (i.e., state transfer that becomes arbitrarily close to perfect) between particles in symmetric spin networks, in the presence of an energy potential induced by a magnetic field. In particular, we show that if a network admits an involution that fixes at least one node or at least one li...

We study pretty good quantum state transfer (i.e., state transfer that becomes arbitrarily close to perfect) between vertices of graphs with an involution in the presence of an energy potential. In particular, we show that if a graph has an involution that fixes at least one vertex or at least one edge, then there exists a choice of potential on th...

In this paper we study quantum state transfer (also called quantum tunneling) on graphs when there is a potential function on the vertex set. We present two main results. First, we show that for paths of length greater than three, there is no potential on the vertices of the path for which perfect state transfer between the endpoints can occur. In...

In this paper we study quantum state transfer (also called quantum tunneling) on graphs when there is a potential function on the vertex set. We present two main results. First, we show that for paths of length greater than three, there is no potential on the vertices of the path for which perfect state transfer between the endpoints can occur. In...

P\'olya's random walk theorem states that a random walk on a $d$-dimensional grid is recurrent for $d=1,2$ and transient for $d\ge3$. We prove a version of P\'olya's random walk theorem for non-backtracking random walks. Namely, we prove that a non-backtracking random walk on a $d$-dimensional grid is recurrent for $d=2$ and transient for $d=1$, $d...

P\'olya's random walk theorem states that a random walk on a $d$-dimensional grid is recurrent for $d=1,2$ and transient for $d\ge3$. We prove a version of P\'olya's random walk theorem for non-backtracking random walks. Namely, we prove that a non-backtracking random walk on a $d$-dimensional grid is recurrent for $d=2$ and transient for $d=1$, $d...

We study the mixing rate of non-backtracking random walks on graphs by looking at non-backtracking walks as walks on the directed edges of a graph. A result known as Ihara's Theorem relates the adjacency matrix of a graph to a matrix related to non-backtracking walks on the directed edges. We prove a weighted version of Ihara's Theorem which relate...

We study the mixing rate of non-backtracking random walks on graphs by looking at non-backtracking walks as walks on the directed edges of a graph. A result known as Ihara's Theorem relates the adjacency matrix of a graph to a matrix related to non-backtracking walks on the directed edges. We prove a weighted version of Ihara's Theorem which relate...

We give a clustering algorithm for connection graphs, that is, weighted graphs in which each edge is associated with a d-dimensional rotation. The problem of interest is to identify subsets of small Cheeger ratio and which have a high level of consistency, i.e. that have small edge boundary and the rotations along any distinct paths joining two ver...

Many problems arising in dealing with high-dimensional data sets involve connection graphs in which each edge is associated with both an edge weight and a d-dimensional linear transformation. We consider vectorized versions of PageRank and effective resistance that can be used as basic tools for organizing and analyzing complex data sets. For examp...

Let F be a field, let G be an undirected graph on n vertices, and let SF(G)SF(G) be the class of all F-valued symmetric n×nn×n matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. For each graph G, there is an associated minimum rank class MRF(G)MRF(G) consisting of all matrices A∈SF(G)A∈SF(G)...

The problem of finding the minimum rank over all symmetric matrices corresponding to a given graph has grown in interest recently. It is well known that the minimum rank of any graph is bounded above by the clique cover number, the minimum number of cliques needed to cover all edges of the graph. We generalize the idea of the clique cover number by...

Let G be an undirected graph on n vertices and let S(G) be the set of all real symmetric n×n matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. Let mr(G) denote the minimum rank of all matrices in S(G), and mr +(G) the minimum rank of all positive semidefinite matrices in S(G). All graphs G w...