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Samir Shukla

Publications and source records attributed to Samir Shukla.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Shellability of 3-cut complexes of powers of cycle graphs

In connection with commutative algebra, Bayer et al. introduced cut complexes in [Topology of cut complexes of graphs, SIAM J.\ Discrete Math., 38(2):1630-1675, 2024]. For a positive integer $k$, the $k$-cut complex of a graph $G$, denoted as $\Delta_k(G)$, is the simplicial complex whose facets are the $(|V(G)|-k)$-subsets $\sigma$ of the vertex set $V(G)$ of $G$ such that the induced subgraph $G[V(G) \setminus \sigma]$ is disconnected. Let $C_n^p$ denote the $p$-th power graph of the cycle graph $C_n$ on $n$ vertices. In this article, we show that $\Delta_3(C_n^p)$ is shellable for $n \geq 6p-3$, and therefore these complexes are homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres of dimension $n-4$. We provide an explicit shelling order on the facets of $\Delta_3(C_n^p)$. We also characterize and count the number of spanning facets in this shelling order, and determine the number of spheres appearing in the wedge in the homotopy type of $\Delta_3(C_n^p)$.

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arXiv2025

Total $2$-cut complexes of powers of cycle graphs and Cartesian products of certain graphs

For a positive integer $k$, the \emph{ total $k$-cut complex} of a graph $G$, denoted as $\Delta_k^t(G)$, is the simplicial complex whose facets are $\sigma \subseteq V(G)$ such that $|\sigma| = |V(G)|-k$ and the induced subgraph $G[V(G) \setminus \sigma]$ does not contain any edge. These complexes were introduced by Bayer et al.\ in \cite{Bayer2024TotalCutcomplex} in connection with commutative algebra. In the same paper, they studied the homotopy types of these complexes for various families of graphs, including cycle graphs $C_n$, squared cycle graphs $C_n^2$, and Cartesian products of complete graphs and path graphs $K_m \square P_2$ and $K_2 \square P_n$. In this article, we extend the work of Bayer et al.\ for these families of graphs. We focus on the complexes $\Delta_2^t(G)$ and determine the homotopy types of these complexes for three classes of graphs: (i) $p$-th powers of cycle graphs $C_n^p$ (ii) $K_m \square P_n$ and (iii) $K_m \square C_n$. Using discrete Morse theory, we show that these complexes are homotopy equivalent to wedges of spheres. We also give the number and dimension of spheres appearing in the homotopy type. Our result on powers of cycle graphs $C_n^p$ proves a conjecture of Shen et al.\ about the homotopy type of the complexes $\Delta_2^t(C_n^p)$.

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arXiv2025

On the Vietoris-Rips Complexes of Integer Lattices

For a metric space $X$ and $r \geq 0$, the Vietoris-Rips complex $\mathcal{VR}(X;r)$ is a simplicial complex whose simplices are finite subsets of $X$ with diameter at most $r$. Vietoris-Rips complexes have applications in various places, including data analysis, geometric group theory, sensor networks, etc. Consider the integer lattice $\mathbb{Z}^n$ as a metric space equipped with the $d_1$-metric (the Manhattan metric or standard word metric in the Cayley graph). Ziga Virk proved that if either $r \geq n^2(2n-1)$, or $1\leq n \leq 3$ and $r \geq n$, then the complex $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible, and posed a question if $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible for all $r \geq n$. Recently, Matthew Zaremsky improved Ziga's result and proved that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible if $r \geq n^2+ n-1$. Further, he conjectured that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible for all $r \geq n$. We prove Zaremsky's conjecture for $n \leq 5$, i.e., we prove that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible if $n \leq 5$ and $r \geq n$. Further, we prove that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is contractible for $r \geq 10$. We determine the homotopy type of $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;2)$, and show that these complexes are homotopy equivalent to a wedge of countably infinite copies of $\mathbb{S}^3$. We also show that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{Z}^n;r)$ is simply connected for $r \geq 2$.

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arXiv2024

Shellability of $3$-Cut Complexes of Squared Cycle Graphs

For a positive integer $k$, the $k$-cut complex of a graph $G$ is the simplicial complex whose facets are the $(|V(G)|-k)$-subsets $\sigma$ of the vertex set $V(G)$ of $G$ such that the induced subgraph of $G$ on $V(G) \setminus \sigma$ is disconnected. These complexes first appeared in the master thesis of Denker and were further studied by Bayer et al.\ in [Topology of cut complexes of graphs, SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics, 2024]. In the same article, Bayer et al.\ conjectured that for $k \geq 3$, the $k$-cut complexes of squared cycle graphs are shellable. Moreover, they also conjectured about the Betti numbers of these complexes when $k=3$. In this article, we prove these conjectures for $k=3$.

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arXiv2024

On the matching complexes of categorical product of path graphs

The matching complex $\mathsf{M}(G)$ of a graph $G$ is a simplicial complex whose simplices are matchings in $G$. These complexes appear in various places and found applications in many areas of mathematics including computational geometry, representation theory, combinatorics, etc. In this article, we consider the matching complexes of the categorical product $P_n \times P_m$ of path graphs $P_n$ and $P_m$. For $m = 1$, $P_n \times P_m$ is a discrete graph and therefore its matching complex is the void complex. For $m = 2$, $\M(P_n \times P_m)$ has been proved to be homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres by Kozlov. We show that for $n \geq 2$ and $3 \leq m \leq 5$, the matching complex of $P_n \times P_m$ is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres. For $m =3$, we explicitly compute the number and dimension of spheres appearing in the wedge. Furthermore, for $m \in \{4, 5\}$, we provide the minimum and maximum dimensions of spheres appearing in the wedge in the homotopy type of $\mathsf{M}(P_n \times P_m)$.

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arXiv2022

\v{C}ech complexes of hypercube graphs

A \v{C}ech complex of a finite simple graph $G$ is a nerve complex of balls in the graph, with one ball centered at each vertex. More precisely, let the \v{C}ech complex $\mathcal{N}(G,r)$ be the nerve of all closed balls of radius $\frac{r}{2}$ centered at vertices of $G$, where these balls are drawn in the geometric realization of the graph $G$ (equipped with the shortest path metric). The simplicial complex $\mathcal{N}(G,r)$ is equal to the graph $G$ when $r=1$, and homotopy equivalent to the graph $G$ when $r$ is smaller than half the length of the shortest loop in $G$. For higher values of $r$, the topology of $\mathcal{N}(G,r)$ is not well-understood. We consider the $n$-dimensional hypercube graphs $\mathbb{I}_n$ with $2^n$ vertices. Our main results are as follows. First, when $r=2$, we show that the \v{C}ech complex $\mathcal{N}(\mathbb{I}_n,2)$ is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of 2-spheres for all $n\ge 1$, and we count the number of 2-spheres appearing in this wedge sum. Second, when $r=3$, we show that $\mathcal{N}(\mathbb{I}_n,3)$ is homotopy equivalent to a simplicial complex of dimension at most 4, and that for $n\ge 4$ the reduced homology of $\mathcal{N}(\mathbb{I}_n, 3)$ is nonzero in dimensions 3 and 4, and zero in all other dimensions. Finally, we show that for all $n\ge 1$ and $r\ge 0$, the inclusion $\mathcal{N}(\mathbb{I}_n, r)\hookrightarrow \mathcal{N}(\mathbb{I}_n, r+2)$ is null-homotopic, providing a bound on the length of bars in the persistent homology of \v{C}ech complexes of hypercube graphs.

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arXiv2022

Bounds for the collapsibility number of a simplicial complex and non-cover complexes of hypergraphs

The collapsibility number of simplicial complexes was introduced by Wegner in order to understand the intersection patterns of convex sets. This number also plays an important role in a variety of Helly type results. We show that the non-cover complex of a hypergraph $\mathcal{H}$ is $|V(\mathcal{H)}|- \gamma_i(\mathcal{H})-1$-collapsible, where $\gamma_i(\mathcal{H})$ is the generalization of independence domination number of a graph to hypergraph. This extends the result of Choi, Kim and Park from graphs to hypergraphs. Moreover, the upper bound in terms of strong independence domination number given by Kim and Kim for the Leray number of the non-cover complex of a hypergraph can be obtained as a special case of our result. In general, there can be a large gap between the collapsibility number of a complex and its well-known upper bounds. In this article, we construct a sequence of upper bounds $\mathcal{M}_k(X)$ for the collapsibility number of a simplicial complex $X$, which lie in this gap. We also show that the bound given by $\mathcal{M}_k$ is tight if the underlying complex is $k$-vertex decomposable.

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arXiv2022

On Vietoris--Rips complexes (with scale 3) of hypercube graphs

For a metric space $(X, d)$ and a scale parameter $r \geq 0$, the Vietoris-Rips complex $\mathcal{VR}(X;r)$ is a simplicial complex on vertex set $X$, where a finite set $\sigma \subseteq X$ is a simplex if and only if diameter of $\sigma$ is at most $r$. For $n \geq 1$, let $\mathbb{I}_n$ denotes the $n$-dimensional hypercube graph. In this paper, we show that $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{I}_n;r)$ has non trivial reduced homology only in dimensions $4$ and $7$. Therefore, we answer a question posed by Adamaszek and Adams recently. A (finite) simplicial complex $\Delta$ is $d$-collapsible if it can be reduced to the void complex by repeatedly removing a face of size at most $d$ that is contained in a unique maximal face of $\Delta$. The collapsibility number of $\Delta$ is the minimum integer $d$ such that $\Delta$ is $d$-collapsible. We show that the collapsibility number of $\mathcal{VR}(\mathbb{I}_n;r)$ is $2^r$ for $r \in \{2, 3\}$.

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arXiv2021

Matching complexes of $\bf 3 \times n$ grid graphs

The matching complex of a graph $G$ is a simplicial complex whose simplices are matchings in $G$. In the last few years the matching complexes of grid graphs have gained much attention among the topological combinatorists. In 2017, Braun and Hough obtained homological results related to the matching complexes of $2 \times n$ grid graphs. Further in 2019, Matsushita showed that the matching complexes of $2 \times n$ grid graphs are homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres. In this article we prove that the matching complexes of $3\times n$ grid graphs are homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres. We also give the comprehensive list of the dimensions of spheres appearing in the wedge.

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arXiv2020

Topology of Clique Complexes of Line Graphs

The clique complex of a graph G is a simplicial complex whose simplices are all the cliques of G, and the line graph L(G) of G is a graph whose vertices are the edges of G and the edges of L(G) are incident edges of G. In this article, we determine the homotopy type of the clique complexes of line graphs for several classes of graphs including triangle-free graphs, chordal graphs, complete multipartite graphs, wheel-free graphs, and 4-regular circulant graphs. We also give a closed form formula for the homotopy type of these complexes in several cases.

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arXiv2020

Vertex cut of a graph and connectivity of its neighbourhood complex

We show that if a graph $G$ satisfies certain conditions then the connectivity of neighbourhood complex $\mathcal{N}(G)$ is strictly less than the vertex connectivity of $G$. As an application, we give a relation between the connectivity of the neighbourhood complex and the vertex connectivity for stiff chordal graphs, and for weakly triangulated graphs satisfying certain properties. Further, we prove that for a graph $G$ if there exists a vertex $v$ satisfying the property that for any $k$-subset $S$ of neighbours of $v$, there exists a vertex $v_S \neq v$ such that $S$ is subset of neighbours of $v_S$, then $\mathcal{N}(G-\{v\})$ is $(k-1)$-connected implies that $\mathcal{N}(G)$ is $(k-1)$-connected. As a consequence of this, we show that:(i) neighbourhood complexes of queen and king graphs are simply connected and (ii) if $G$ is a $(n+1)$-connected chordal graph which is not folded onto a clique of size $n+2$, then $\mathcal{N}(G)$ is $n$-connected.

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arXiv2020

Distance $r$-domination number and $r$-independence complexes of graphs

For $r\geq 1$, the $r$-independence complex of a graph $G$, denoted Ind$_r(G)$, is a simplicial complex whose faces are subsets $A \subseteq V(G)$ such that each component of the induced subgraph $G[A]$ has at most $r$ vertices. In this article, we establish a relation between the distance $r$-domination number of $G$ and (homological) connectivity of Ind$_r(G)$. We also prove that Ind$_r(G)$, for a chordal graph $G$, is either contractible or homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres. Given a wedge of spheres, we also provide a construction of a chordal graph whose $r$-independence complex has the homotopy type of the given wedge.

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arXiv2019

Homotopy Type of Independence Complexes of Certain Families of Graphs

We show that the independence complexes of generalised Mycielskian of complete graphs are homotopy equivalent to a wedge sum of spheres, and determine the number of copies and the dimensions of these spheres. We also prove that the independence complexes of categorical product of complete graphs are wedge sum of circles, upto homotopy. Further, we show that if we perturb a graph $G$ in a certain way, then the independence complex of this new graph is homotopy equivalent to the suspension of the independence complex of $G$.

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arXiv2018

Spectral gap bounds for the simplicial Laplacian and an application to random complexes

In this article, we derive two spectral gap bounds for the reduced Laplacian of a general simplicial complex. Our two bounds are proven by comparing a simplicial complex in two different ways with a larger complex and with the corresponding clique complex respectively. Both of these bounds generalize the result of Aharoni et al. (2005) \cite{ABM} which is valid only for clique complexes. As an application, we investigate the thresholds for vanishing of cohomology of the neighborhood complex of the Erd\"{o}s-R\'enyi random graph. We improve the upper bound derived in Kahle (2007) \cite{kahle} by a logarithmic factor using our spectral gap bounds and we also improve the lower bound via finer probabilistic estimates than those in Kahle (2007) \cite{kahle}.

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arXiv2018

Neighborhood complexes, homotopy test graphs and a contribution to a conjecture of Hedetniemi

The neighborhood complex $\N(G)$ of a graph $G$ were introduced by L. Lov{\'a}sz in his proof of Kneser conjecture. He proved that for any graph $G$, \begin{align} \label{abstract} \chi(G) \geq conn(\N(G))+3. \end{align} In this article we show that for a class of exponential graphs the bound given in (\ref{abstract}) is sharp. Further, we show that the neighborhood complexes of these exponential graphs are spheres up to homotopy. We were also able to find a class of exponential graphs, which are homotopy test graphs. Hedetniemi's conjecture states that the chromatic number of the categorical product of two graphs is the minimum of the chromatic number of the factors. Let $M(G)$ denotes the Mycielskian of a graph $G$. We show that, for any graph $G$ containing $M(M(K_n))$ as a subgraph and for any graph $H$, if $\chi(G \times H) = n+1$, then $\min\{\chi(G), \chi(H)\} = n+1$. Therefore, we enrich the family of graphs satisfying the Hedetniemi's conjecture.

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arXiv2018

Homotopy type of the neighborhood complexes of graphs of maximal degree at most $3$ and $4$-regular circulant graphs

To estimate the lower bound for the chromatic number of a graph $G$, Lov\'asz associated a simplicial complex $\mathcal{N}(G)$ called the neighborhood complex and relates the topological connectivity of $\mathcal{N}(G)$ to the chromatic number of $G$. More generally he proved that the chromatic number of $G$ is bounded below by the topological connectivity of $\mathcal{N}(G)$ plus $3$. In this article, we consider the graphs of maximal degree at most $3$ and $4$-regular circulant graphs. We show that each connected component of the neighborhood complexes of these graphs is homotopy equivalent either to a point, to a wedge sum of circles, to a wedge sum of $2$-spheres $S^2$, to $S^3$, to a garland of $2$-spheres $S^2$ or to a connected sum of tori.

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arXiv2017

Neighborhood Complexes of Some Exponential Graphs

In this article, we consider the bipartite graphs $K_2 \times K_n$. We first show that the connectedness of $\mathcal{N}(K_{n+1}^{K_n}) =0$. Further, we show that $\text{Hom}(K_2 \times K_{n}, K_{m})$ is homotopic to $S^{m-2}$, if $2\leq m <n$.

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