bridgeless

Bridgeless is an adjective used in several technical contexts to denote the absence of a bridge, with the specific meaning depending on the field. In graph theory, a bridgeless graph, also called 2-edge-connected, is a connected graph that contains no bridges—edges whose removal would disconnect the graph. Equivalently, every edge lies on at least one cycle. This property implies the graph has edge-connectivity at least two and, between any two vertices, there exist two edge-disjoint paths. Bridges partition a graph into blocks; removing all bridges yields its 2-edge-connected components, contributing to network reliability and redundancy analyses.

In power electronics, a bridgeless rectifier or converter refers to a topology that replaces the traditional diode bridge with active switches or bidirectional devices. Eliminating the diode bridge can reduce forward drop, lower conduction losses, and improve efficiency, especially in three-phase rectification and motor-drive interfaces. Bridgeless designs enable features such as soft switching and tighter control of power factor, but they introduce design challenges such as higher control complexity, EMI and ripple management, and the need for robust protection paths in the absence of diodes.

The term may also appear in other engineering contexts to indicate the absence of a bridging element, with the precise interpretation depending on the system being described.