Circular Flows in Planar Graphs

Abstract

For integers $a\ge 2b>0$, a circular $a/b$-flow is a flow that takes values from $\{\pm b, \pm(b+1), \dots, \pm(a-b)\}$. The Planar Circular Flow Conjecture states that every $2k$-edge-connected planar graph admits a circular $(2+\frac{2}{k})$-flow. The cases $k=1$ and $k=2$ are equivalent to the Four Color Theorem and Grötzsch's 3-Color Theorem. For $k\ge 3$, the conjecture remains open. Here we make progress when $k=4$ and $k=6$. We prove that (i) every 10-edge-connected planar graph admits a circular $5/2$-flow and (ii) every 16-edge-connected planar graph admits a circular 7/3-flow. The dual version of statement (i) on circular coloring was previously proved by Dvořák and Postle [Combinatorica, 37 (2017), pp. 863--886], but our proof has the advantages of being much shorter and avoiding the use of computers for case-checking. Further, it has new implications for antisymmetric flows. Statement (ii) is especially interesting because the counterexamples to Jaeger's original Circular Flow Conjecture are 12-edge-connected nonplanar graphs that admit no circular 7/3-flow. Thus, the planarity hypothesis of (ii) is essential.