Thesis.pdf (21.62 MB)
Topics in matroid union
thesis
posted on 2022-03-07, 21:26 authored by Ali M. HameedThe operation of matroid union was introduced by Nash-Williams in 1966. A
matroid is indecomposable if it cannot be written in the form M = M1 V
M2, where r(M1),r(M2) > 0. In 1971 Welsh posed the problem of
characterizing indecomposable matroids, this problem has turned out to
be extremely difficult. As a partial solution towards its progress,
Cunningham characterized binary indecomposable matroids in 1977. In this
thesis we present numerous results in topics of matroid union. Those
include a link between matroid connectivity and matroid union, such as
the implication of having a 2-separation in the matroid union, and under
what conditions is the union 3-connected. We also identify which
elements in binary and ternary matroids are non-fixed. Then we create a
link between having non-fixed elements in binary and ternary matroids
and the decomposability of such matroids, and the effect of removing
non-fixed elements from binary and ternary matroids. Moreover, we show
results concerning decomposable 3-connected ternary matroids, such as
what essential property every decomposable 3-connected ternary matroid
must have, how to compose a ternary matroid, and what a 3-connected
ternary matroid decomposes into. We also give an alternative statement
and an alternative proof of Cunningham's theorem from the perspective of
fixed and non-fixed elements.