Matroid inequalities from electrical network theory (Q1773143)

Summary: In 1981, \textit{R. P. Stanley} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. 31, 56--65 (1981; Zbl 0484.05012)] applied the Aleksandrov-Fenchel inequalities to prove a logarithmic concavity theorem for regular matroids. Using ideas from electrical network theory we prove a generalization of this for the wider class of matroids with the ``half-plane property''. Then we explore a nest of inequalities for weighted basis-generating polynomials that are related to these ideas. As a first result from this investigation we find that every matroid of rank three or corank three satisfies a condition only slightly weaker than the conclusion of Stanley's theorem.