Quantum maxflow/mincut conjecture for tensor-network maps

About 18 years old · traced to

Let NN be a vv-valent graph with kk input cut edges and ll output cut edges, with the incoming edges at each vertex locally ordered. For a vv-index tensor WW on a vector space VV, let θN,W:V⊗k→V⊗l\theta_{N,W}:V^{\otimes k}\to V^{\otimes l} be the linear map obtained by placing a copy of WW at every vertex according to the local edge ordering and contracting along internal edges. Quantum maxflow/mincut conjecture. The map θN,W\theta_{N,W} is injective for generic WW if and only if NN admits kk edge-disjoint paths from the input to the output. Moreover, its image is generic with respect to any fixed basis of VV: if h≤l−kh\leq l-k basis vectors b⃗\vec b are inserted into hh output slots not lying on the kk edge-disjoint paths, then the resulting map θN,W,b⃗:V⊗k→V⊗(l−h)\theta_{N,W,\vec b}:V^{\otimes k}\to V^{\otimes(l-h)} is also injective for generic WW. This proposed quantum analogue of maxflow/mincut concerns injectivity and genericity of tensor-network maps; the supplied context gives no evidence that it has been resolved.

References

Primary source

Danny Calegari, Michael Freedman and Kevin Walker, “Positivity of the universal pairing in 3 dimensions”, arXiv:0802.3208 (2009).

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