Topological obstructions to graph colorings

Abstract

For any two graphs $G$ and $H$ Lovász has defined a cell complex $Hom(G,H)$ having in mind the general program that the algebraic invariants of these complexes should provide obstructions to graph colorings. Here we announce the proof of a conjecture of Lovász concerning these complexes with $G$ a cycle of odd length. More specifically, we show that: if $Hom(C_{2r+1},G)$ is $k$-connected, then $\chi (G)\ge k+4$. Our actual statement is somewhat sharper, as we find obstructions already in the non-vanishing of powers of certain Stiefel-Whitney classes.

This is a research announcement, which is to appear in ERA-AMS