Thin edges in braces (Q888627)

Summary: The bicontraction of a vertex \(v\) of degree two in a graph, with precisely two neighbours \(v_1\) and \(v_2\), consists of shrinking the set \(\{v_1,v,v_2\}\) to a single vertex. The retract of a matching covered graph \(G\), denoted by \(\widehat{G}\), is the graph obtained from \(G\) by repeatedly bicontracting vertices of degree two. Up to isomorphism, the retract of a matching covered graph \(G\) is unique. If \(G\) is a brace on six or more vertices, an edge \(e\) of \(G\) is thin if \(\widehat{G-e}\) is a brace. A thin edge \(e\) in a simple brace \(G\) is strictly thin if \(\widehat{G-e}\) is a simple brace. Theorems concerning the existence of strictly thin edges have been used (implicitly by \textit{W. McCuaig} [Electron. J. Comb. 11, No. 1, Research paper R79, 83 p. (2004; Zbl 1062.05066)] and explicitly by the authors [SIAM J. Discrete Math. 27, No. 2, 940--958 (2013; Zbl 1272.05155)] as inductive tools for establishing properties of braces. Let \(G\) and \(J\) be two distinct braces, where \(G\) is of order six or more and \(J\) is a simple matching minor of \(G\). It follows from a theorem of \textit{W. McCuaig} [J. Graph Theory 38, No. 3, 124--169 (2001; Zbl 0991.05086)] that \(G\) has a thin edge \(e\) such that \(J\) is a matching minor of \(G-e\). In Section 2, we give an alternative, and simpler proof, of this assertion. Our method of proof lends itself to proving stronger results concerning thin edges. Let \({\mathcal G}^+\) denote the family of braces consisting of all prisms, all Möbius ladders, all biwheels, and all extended biwheels. Strengthening another result of McCuaig [loc. cit.] on brace generation, we show that every simple brace of order six or more which is not a member of \({\mathcal G}^+\) has at least two strictly thin edges. We also give examples to show that this result is best possible.