On the spectral distribution of large weighted random regular graphs, preprint 2012

ABSTRACT. McKay proved the limiting spectral measures of the ensembles of d-regular graphs with N vertices converge to Kesten’s measure as N →∞. Given a large d-regular graph we assign random weights, drawn from some distribution W, to its edges. We study the relationship between W and the associated limiting spectral distribution obtained by averaging over the weighted graphs. We establish the existence of a unique ‘eigendistribution ’ (a weight distribution W such that the associated limiting spectral distribution is a rescaling ofW). Initial investigations suggested that the eigendistribution was the semi-circle distribution, which by Wigner’s Law is the limiting spectral measure for real symmetric matrices. We prove this is not the case, though the deviation between the eigendistribution and the semi-circular density is small (the first seven moments agree, and the difference in each higher moment is O(1/d2)). Our analysis uses combinatorial results about closed acyclic walks in large trees, which may be of independent interest. 1