Skip to main content
Log in

Proof of Halin’s normal spanning tree conjecture

  • Published:
Israel Journal of Mathematics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Halin conjectured 20 years ago that a graph has a normal spanning tree if and only if every minor of it has countable colouring number. We prove Halin’s conjecture. This implies a forbidden minor characterisation for the property of having a normal spanning tree.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. N. Bowler, J. Carmesin, P. Komjáth and Chr. Reiher, The colouring number of infinite graphs, Combinatorica 39 (2019), 1225–1235.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. J.-M. Brochet and R. Diestel, Normal tree orders for infinite graphs, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 345 (1994), 871–895.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  3. C. Bürger and J. Kurkofka, Duality theorems for stars and combs I: Arbitrary stars and combs, Journal of Graph Theory https://doi.org/10.1002/jgt.22757.

  4. R. Diestel, Graph Theory, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, Vol. 173, Springer, Berlin, 2017.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. R. Diestel, A simple existence criterion for normal spanning trees, The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics 23 (2016), Article no. 2.33.

  6. R. Diestel and I. Leader, Normal spanning trees, Aronszajn trees and excluded minors, Journal of the London Mathematical Society 63 (2001), 16–32.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. J. Erde, P. Gollin, A. Joó, P. Knappe and M. Pitz, A Cantor-Bernstein-type theorem for spanning trees in infinite graphs, Journal of Combinatorial Theory. Series B 149 (2021), 16–22.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. R. Halin, Miscellaneous problems on infinite graphs, Journal of Graph Theory 35 (2000), 128–151.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. H. A. Jung, Zusammenzüge und Unterteilungen von Graphen, Mathematische Nachrichten 35 (1967), 241–267.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. H. A. Jung, Wurzelbäume und unendliche Wege in Graphen, Mathematische Nachrichten 41 (1969), 1–22.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. K. Kunen, Set Theory, Studies in Logic, Vol. 34 College Publications, London, 2011.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Pitz, A new obstruction for normal spanning trees, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society 53 (2021), 1220–1227.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. M. Pitz, A unified existence theorem for normal spanning trees, Journal of Combinatorial Theory. Series B 145 (2020), 466–469.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Max Pitz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pitz, M. Proof of Halin’s normal spanning tree conjecture. Isr. J. Math. 246, 353–370 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11856-021-2249-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11856-021-2249-3

Navigation