On Fulkerson conjecture

Abstract

If G is a bridgeless cubic graph, Fulkerson conjectured that we can find 6 perfect matchings (a Fulkerson covering) with the property that every edge of G is contained in exactly two of them. A consequence of the Fulkerson conjecture would be that every bridgeless cubic graph has 3 perfect matchings with empty intersection (this problem is known as the Fan Raspaud Conjecture). A FR-triple is a set of 3 such perfect matchings. We show here how to derive a Fulkerson covering from two FR-triples. Moreover, we give a simple proof that the Fulkerson conjecture holds true for some classes of well known snarks