A Fiedler-like theory for the perturbed Laplacian.

The perturbed Laplacian matrix of a graph G is defined as DL = D− A, where D is any diagonal matrix and A is a weighted adjacency matrix of G. We develop a Fiedler-like theory for this matrix, leading to results that are of the same type as those obtained with the algebraic connectivity of a graph. We show a monotonicity theorem for the harmonic eigenfunction corresponding to the second smallest eigenvalue of the perturbed Laplacian matrix over the points of articulation of a graph. Furthermore, we use the notion of Perron component for the perturbed Laplacian matrix of a graph and show how its second smallest eigenvalue can be characterized using this definition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]