SOME RESULTS ON AN ALGEBRO-GEOMETRIC CONDITION ON GRAPHS

Abstract

Paolo Aluffi, inspired by an algebro-geometric problem, asked when the Kirchhoff polynomial of a graph is in the Jacobian ideal of the Kirchhoff polynomial of the same graph with one edge deleted. We give some results on which graph–edge pairs have this property. In particular, we show that multiple edges can be reduced to double edges, we characterize which edges of wheel graphs satisfy the property, we consider a stronger condition which guarantees the property for any parallel join, and we find a class of series–parallel graphs with the property.