Holomorphic quadratic differentials on graphs and the chromatic polynomial

Abstract

We study "holomorphic quadratic differentials" on graphs. We relate them to the reactive power in an LC circuit, and also to the chromatic polynomial of a graph. Specifically, we show that the chromatic polynomial $\chi$ of a graph $G$, at negative integer values, can be evaluated as the degree of a certain rational mapping, arising from the defining equations for a holomorphic quadratic differential. This allows us to give an explicit integral expression for $\chi(-k)$.