\(k\)-elimination property for circuits of matroids (Q1174778)

This paper considers various conditions on the set of circuits of a matroid that generalize the well-known circuit elimination axiom. In particular, a matroid \(M\) is said to have the \(k\)-property if, for every pair of distinct circuits \(C_ 1\) and \(C_ 2\) and every \(k\)-element subset \(A\) of \(C_ 1\cap C_ 2\), there is a circuit \(C_ 3\) contained in \((C_ 1\cup C_ 2)-A\). If this circuit \(C_ 3\) can also be required to contain some fixed element of \(C_ 1-C_ 2\), then \(M\) is said to have the strong \(k\)-property. \textit{J.-C. Fournier} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 31, 249-250 (1981; Zbl 0469.05024)] proved that a matroid has the 2- property if and only if it is binary. The reviewer [Eur. J. Comb. 9, No. 4, 331-336 (1988; Zbl 0682.05023)]characterized the matroids having the \(k\)-property when \(k\in\{3,4,5\}\) and conjectured that if a matroid \(M\) has the \(k\)-property for some \(k\geq 2\), then \(M\) has the \(t\)-property for all \(t\geq k\). The author proves this conjecture for all matroids that are representable over some field of characteristic two. In addition, he gives an excluded-minor characterization of the matroids having the 6- property from which he deduces that the reviewer's conjecture holds for all matroids when \(k\) is 6. The paper also contains several interesting new conjectures one of which is that a matroid has the strong \(k\)- property if and only if it has the \(k\)-property. This conjecture is true for \(k\leq 4\) but is open otherwise.