Inclusion of forbidden minors in random representable matroids

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Publication:526240

DOI10.1016/J.DISC.2017.02.017zbMATH Open1361.05119arXiv1507.05332OpenAlexW2962945180MaRDI QIDQ526240FDOQ526240


Authors: Elizabeth Yang, Jason M. Altschuler Edit this on Wikidata


Publication date: 10 May 2017

Published in: Discrete Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In 1984, Kelly and Oxley introduced the model of a random representable matroid M[An] corresponding to a random matrix AninmathbbFqm(n)imesn, whose entries are drawn independently and uniformly from mathbbFq. Whereas properties such as rank, connectivity, and circuit size have been well-studied, forbidden minors have not yet been analyzed. Here, we investigate the asymptotic probability as noinfty that a fixed mathbbFq-representable matroid M is a minor of M[An]. (We always assume m(n)geqextrank(M) for all sufficiently large n, otherwise M can never be a minor of the corresponding M[An].) When M is free, we show that M is asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.) a minor of M[An]. When M is not free, we show a phase transition: M is a.a.s. a minor if nm(n)oinfty, but is a.a.s. not if m(n)noinfty. In the more general settings of mleqn and m>n, we give lower and upper bounds, respectively, on both the asymptotic and non-asymptotic probability that M is a minor of M[An]. The tools we develop to analyze matroid operations and minors of random matroids may be of independent interest. Our results directly imply that M[An] is a.a.s. not contained in any proper, minor-closed class mathcalM of mathbbFq-representable matroids, provided: (i) nm(n)oinfty, and (ii) m(n) is at least the minimum rank of any mathbbFq-representable forbidden minor of mathcalM, for all sufficiently large n. As an application, this shows that graphic matroids are a vanishing subset of linear matroids, in a sense made precise in the paper. Our results provide an approach for applying the rich theory around matroid minors to the less-studied field of random matroids.


Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1507.05332




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