Spanning Tree Results for Graphs and Multigraphs ─ A Matrix-Theoretic Approach

In this work, we consider the optimization problem of maximizing the number of spanning trees among graphs and multigraphs in the same class, i.e. having a fixed number of nodes and a fixed number of edges. Since a spanning tree is a minimally connected subgraph, graphs and multigraphs having more of these are, in some sense, immune to disconnection by edge failure.The authors envision this as a research aid that is of particular interest to graduate students or advanced undergraduate students and researchers in the area of network reliability theory. This would encompass graph theorists of all stripes, including mathematicians, computer scientists, electrical and computer engineers, and operations researchers.