Metrized graphs, electrical networks, and Fourier analysis

Abstract

A metrized graph is a finite weighted graph whose edges are thought of as line segments. In this expository paper, we study the Laplacian operator on a metrized graph and some important functions related to it, including the ``j-function'', the effective resistance, and eigenfunctions of the Laplacian. We discuss the relationship between metrized graphs and electrical networks, which provides some physical intuition for the concepts being dealt with. We also discuss the relation between the Laplacian on a metrized graph and the combinatorial Laplacian matrix. We introduce the``canonical measure'' on a metrized graph, which arises naturally when considering the Laplacian of the effective resistance function. Finally, we discuss a generalization of classical Fourier analysis which utilizes eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on a metrized graph. During the course of the paper, we obtain a proof of Foster's network theorem and of an intriguing series identity.