Graphs and matrices enjoy a fascinating and mutually beneficial relationship. This interplay has benefited both graph theory and linear algebra. In one direction, knowledge about one of the graphs that can be associated with a matrix can be used to illuminate matrix properties and to get better information about the matrix. Examples include the use of digraphs to obtain strong results on diagonal dominance and eigenvalue inclusion regions and the use of the Rado-Hall theorem to deduce properties of special classes of matrices. Going the other way, linear algebraic properties of one of the matrices associated with a graph can be used to obtain useful combinatorial information about the graph. The adjacency matrix and the Laplacian matrix are two well-known matrices associated to a graph, and their eigenvalues encode important information about the graph. Another important linear algebraic invariant associated with a graph is the Colin de Verdiere number, which, for instance, characterizes certain topological properties of the graph. This book is not a comprehensive study of graphs and matrices. The particular content of the lectures was chosen for its accessibility, beauty, and current relevance, and for the possibility of enticing the audience to want to learn more.

Combinatorics and Matrix Theory have a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationship. This relationship is discussed in my paper The symbiotic relationship of combinatorics and matrix theoryl where I attempted to justify this description. One could say that a more detailed justification was given in my book with H. J. Ryser entitled Combinatorial Matrix Theon? where an attempt was made to give a broad picture of the use of combinatorial ideas in matrix theory and the use of matrix theory in proving theorems which, at least on the surface, are combinatorial in nature. In the book by Liu and Lai, this picture is enlarged and expanded to include recent developments and contributions of Chinese mathematicians, many of which have not been readily available to those of us who are unfamiliar with Chinese journals. Necessarily, there is some overlap with the book Combinatorial Matrix Theory. Some of the additional topics include: spectra of graphs, eulerian graph problems, Shannon capacity, generalized inverses of Boolean matrices, matrix rearrangements, and matrix completions. A topic to which many Chinese mathematicians have made substantial contributions is the combinatorial analysis of powers of nonnegative matrices, and a large chapter is devoted to this topic. This book should be a valuable resource for mathematicians working in the area of combinatorial matrix theory. Richard A. Brualdi University of Wisconsin - Madison 1 Linear Alg. Applies., vols. 162-4, 1992, 65-105 2Camhridge University Press, 1991.

Probability theory is based on the notion of independence. The celebrated law of large numbers and the central limit theorem describe the asymptotics of the sum of independent variables. However, there are many models of strongly correlated random variables: for instance, the eigenvalues of random matrices or the tiles in random tilings. Classical tools of probability theory are useless to study such models. These lecture notes describe a general strategy to study the fluctuations of strongly interacting random variables. This strategy is based on the asymptotic analysis of Dyson-Schwinger (or loop) equations: the author will show how these equations are derived, how to obtain the concentration of measure estimates required to study these equations asymptotically, and how to deduce from this analysis the global fluctuations of the model. The author will apply this strategy in different settings: eigenvalues of random matrices, matrix models with one or several cuts, random tilings, and several matrices models.

The book reviews inequalities for weighted entry sums of matrix powers. Applications range from mathematics and CS to pure sciences. It unifies and generalizes several results for products and powers of sesquilinear forms derived from powers of Hermitian, positive-semidefinite, as well as nonnegative matrices. It shows that some inequalities are valid only in specific cases. How to translate the Hermitian matrix results into results for alternating powers of general rectangular matrices? Inequalities that compare the powers of the row and column sums to the row and column sums of the matrix powers are refined for nonnegative matrices. Lastly, eigenvalue bounds and derive results for iterated kernels are improved.

Advanced Graph Theory focuses on some of the main notions arising in graph theory with an emphasis from the very start of the book on the possible applications of the theory and the fruitful links existing with linear algebra. The second part of the book covers basic material related to linear recurrence relations with application to counting and the asymptotic estimate of the rate of growth of a sequence satisfying a recurrence relation.

The rapidly expanding area of algebraic graph theory uses two different branches of algebra to explore various aspects of graph theory: linear algebra (for spectral theory) and group theory (for studying graph symmetry). These areas have links with other areas of mathematics, such as logic and harmonic analysis, and are increasingly being used in such areas as computer networks where symmetry is an important feature. Other books cover portions of this material, but this book is unusual in covering both of these aspects and there are no other books with such a wide scope. Peter J. Cameron, internationally recognized for his substantial contributions to the area, served as academic consultant for this volume, and the result is ten expository chapters written by acknowledged international experts in the field. Their well-written contributions have been carefully edited to enhance readability and to standardize the chapter structure, terminology and notation throughout the book. To help the reader, there is an extensive introductory chapter that covers the basic background material in graph theory, linear algebra and group theory. Each chapter concludes with an extensive list of references.

Wise describes a stream of geometric group theory connecting many of the classically considered groups arising in combinatorial group theory with right-angled Artin groups. He writes for new or seasoned researchers who have completed at least an introductory course of geometric groups theory or even just hyperbolic groups, but says some comfort with graphs of groups would be helpful. His topics include non-positively curved cube complexes, virtual specialness of malnormal amalgams, finiteness properties of the dual cube complex, walls in cubical small-cancellation theory, and hyperbolicity and quasiconvexity detection. Color drawings illustrate. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).