Circuit preserving edge maps. II (Q1068854)

[For part I see the author's joint paper with \textit{D. Sanders} in J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 22, 91-96 (1977; Zbl 0351.05125).] In Section 1 of this article we prove the following. Let \(f: G\to G'\) be a circuit surjection, i.e., a mapping of the edge set of G onto the edge set of G' which maps circuits of G onto circuits of G', where G, G' are graphs without loops or multiple edges and G' has no isolated vertices. We show that if G is assumed finite and 3-connected, then f is induced by a vertex isomorphism. If G is assumed 3-connected but not necessarily finite and G' is assumed to not be a circuit, then f is induced by a vertex isomorphism. Examples of circuit surjections \(f: G\to G'\) where G' is a circuit and G is an infinite graph of arbitrarily large connectivity are given. In general if we assume G two-connected and G' not a circuit then any circuit surjection \(f: G\to G'\) may be written as the composite of three maps, \(f(G)=q(h(k(G)))\), where k is a 1-1 onto edge map which preserves circuits in both directions (the ''2-isomorphism'' of Whitney when G is finite), h is an onto edge map obtained by replacing ''suspended chains'' of k(G) with single edges, and G is a circuit injection (a 1-1 circuit surjection). Let \(f: G\to M\) be a 1-1 onto mapping of the edges of G onto the cells of M which takes circuits of G onto circuits of M where G is a graph with no isolated vertices, M a matroid. If there exists a circuit C of M which is not the image of a circuit in G, we call f nontrivial, otherwise trivial. In Section 2 we show the following. Let G be a graph of even order. Then the statement ''no nontrivial map \(f: G\to M\) exists, where M is a binary matroid,'' is equivalent to ''G is Hamiltonian''. If G is a graph of odd order, then the statement ''no nontrivial map \(f: G\to M\) exists, where M is a binary matroid'' is equivalent to ''G is almost Hamiltonian'', where we define a graph G of order n to be almost Hamiltonian if every subset of vertices of order n-1 is contained in some circuit of G.