Towards a spectral theory of graphs based on the signless Laplacian, I

Abstract

A spectral graph theory is a theory in which graphs are studied by means of eigenvalues of a matrix M which is in a prescribed way defined for any graph. This theory is called M-theory. We outline a spectral theory of graphs based on the signless Laplacians Q and compare it with other spectral theories, in particular with those based on the adjacency matrix A and the Laplacian L. The Q-theory can be composed using various connections to other theories: equivalency with A-theory and L-theory for regular graphs, or with L-theory for bipartite graphs, general analogies with A-theory and analogies with A-theory via line graphs and subdivision graphs. We present results on graph operations, inequalities for eigenvalues and reconstruction problems.