Erdős-Ko-Rado for perfect matchings

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Publication:2400976




Abstract: A perfect matching of a complete graph K2n is a 1-regular subgraph that contains all the vertices. Two perfect matchings intersect if they share an edge. It is known that if mathcalF is family of intersecting perfect matchings of K2n, then |mathcalF|leq(2(n1)1)!! and if equality holds, then mathcalF=mathcalFij where mathcalFij is the family of all perfect matchings of K2n that contain some fixed edge ij. We give a short algebraic proof of this result, resolving a question of Godsil and Meagher. Along the way, we show that if a family mathcalF is non-Hamiltonian, that is, mcupmotcongC2n for any m,minmathcalF, then |mathcalF|leq(2(n1)1)!! and this bound is met with equality if and only if mathcalF=mathcalFij. Our results make ample use of a somewhat understudied symmetric commutative association scheme arising from the Gelfand pair (S2n,S2wrSn). We give an exposition of a few new interesting objects that live in this scheme as they pertain to our results.





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