Eigenvectors of random graphs: Nodal domains

Yael Dekel*, James R. Lee, Nathan Linial

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

We initiate a systematic study of eigenvectors of random graphs. Whereas much is known about eigenvalues of graphs and how they reflect properties of the underlying graph, relatively little is known about the corresponding eigenvectors. Our main focus in this paper is on the nodal domains associated with the different eigenfunctions. In the analogous realm of Laplacians of Riemannian manifolds, nodal domains have been the subject of intensive research for well over a hundred years. Graphical nodal domains turn out to have interesting and unexpected properties. Our main theorem asserts that there is a constant c such that for almost every graph G, each eigenfunction of G has at most 2 nodal domains, together with at most c exceptional vertices falling outside these primary domains. We also discuss variations of these questions and briefly report on some numerical experiments which, in particular, suggest that there are almost surely no exceptional vertices.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationApproximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization
Subtitle of host publicationAlgorithms and Techniques - 10th International Workshop, APPROX 2007 and 11th International Workshop, RANDOM 2007, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages436-448
Number of pages13
ISBN (Print)9783540742074
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
Event10th International Workshop on Approximation Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization Problems, APPROX 2007 and 11th International Workshop on Randomization and Computation, RANDOM 2007 - Princeton, NJ, United States
Duration: 20 Aug 200722 Aug 2007

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume4627 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference10th International Workshop on Approximation Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization Problems, APPROX 2007 and 11th International Workshop on Randomization and Computation, RANDOM 2007
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPrinceton, NJ
Period20/08/0722/08/07

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