The spherical genus and virtually planar graphs (Q1109783)

In a simple, connected, finite graph G with vertex set V(G) and vertex \(v\in V(G)\), the set of vertices adjacent to v is the neighbourhood N(v) of v. A graph \(\tilde G\) (possibly infinite, but assumed connected) is a covering of G with projection p: \(\tilde G\to G\) if there is a surjection \(p: V(\tilde G)\to V(G)\) such that \(p|_{N(\tilde v)}:\) \(N(\tilde v)\to N(v)\) is a bijection for any vertex \(v\in V(G)\) and \(\tilde v\in p^{-1}(v)\). Here the number of vertices n in \(p^{-1}(v)\) is independent of the choice of v, and is called the fold number of the covering \(\tilde G\) or its projection p. If n is finite, p is called an n-fold covering, and otherwise an infinite one. A covering \(\tilde G\) of G is regular if for p: \(\tilde G\to G\), there is a subgroup A of Aut\((\tilde G)\) such that \(u,v\in V(\tilde G)\) project to the same vertex p(v) \((=p(u))\) of G if and only if for some \(\tau\in A\), \(\tau (v)=u\). The spherical genus sph(G) of a connected graph G is the minimum integer n such that there is an n-fold regular covering of G, n possibly infinite, which is planar. A graph G is virtually planar if sph(G) is finite. Recent results are surveyed. It is shown that G is virtually planar if and only if G is either planar or projective-planar and that \(sph(G)=1,2\), or \(\infty.\) The weak spherical genus sph'(G) is analogously defined except that the covering \(\tilde G\) of G is not required to be regular. Then G is weakly virtually planar if sph'(G) is finite. It has been conjectured that there are no weakly vitually planar graphs that are not virtually planar. It is shown that any counterexample to this conjecture hides among the list of 103 irreducible graphs for the projective plane.