Four‐terminal reducibility and projective‐planar wye‐delta‐wye‐reducible graphs

A graph is YΔY‐reducible if it can be reduced to a vertex by a sequence of series‐parallel reductions and YΔY‐transformations. Terminals are distinguished vertices, that cannot be deleted by reductions and transformations. In this article, we show that four‐terminal planar graphs are YΔY‐reducible when at least three of the vertices lie on the same face. Using this result, we characterize YΔY‐reducible projective‐planar graphs. We also consider terminals in projective‐planar graphs, and establish that graphs of crossing‐number one are YΔY‐reducible. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33: 83–93, 2000     

Maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraphs of class II graphs

A graph G is class II, if its chromatic index is at least Δ + 1. Let H be a maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraph of G. The paper proves best possible lower bounds for |E(H)|/|E(G)|, and structural properties of maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraphs. It is shown that every set of vertex‐disjoint cycles of a class II graph with Δ≥3 can be extended to a maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraph. Simple graphs have a maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraph such that the complement is a matching. Furthermore, a maximum Δ‐edge‐colorable subgraph of a simple graph is always class I. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Game chromatic index of k‐degenerate graphs

We consider the following edge coloring game on a graph G. Given t distinct colors, two players Alice and Bob, with Alice moving first, alternately select an uncolored edge e of G and assign it a color different from the colors of edges adjacent to e. Bob wins if, at any stage of the game, there is an uncolored edge adjacent to colored edges in all t colors; otherwise Alice wins. Note that when Alice wins, all edges of G are properly colored. The game chromatic index of a graph G is the minimum number of colors for which Alice has a winning strategy. In this paper, we study the edge coloring game on k‐degenerate graphs. We prove that the game chromatic index of a k‐degenerate graph is at most Δ + 3k − 1, where Δ is the maximum vertex degree of the graph. We also show that the game chromatic index of a forest of maximum degree 3 is at most 4 when the forest contains an odd number of edges. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 36: 144–155, 2001     

Minimally (k,k)‐edge‐connected graphs

For an integer l > 1, the l‐edge‐connectivity of a connected graph with at least l vertices is the smallest number of edges whose removal results in a graph with l components. A connected graph G is (k, l)‐edge‐connected if the l‐edge‐connectivity of G is at least k. In this paper, we present a structural characterization of minimally (k, k)‐edge‐connected graphs. As a result, former characterizations of minimally (2, 2)‐edge‐connected graphs in [J of Graph Theory 3 (1979), 15–22] are extended. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 44: 116–131, 2003     

Acyclic edge coloring of 2‐degenerate graphs

An acyclic edge coloring of a graph is a proper edge coloring such that there are no bichromatic cycles. The acyclic chromatic index of a graph is the minimum number k such that there is an acyclic edge coloring using k colors and is denoted by a′(G). A graph is called 2‐degenerate if any of its induced subgraph has a vertex of degree at most 2. The class of 2‐degenerate graphs properly contains series–parallel graphs, outerplanar graphs, non ? regular subcubic graphs, planar graphs of girth at least 6 and circle graphs of girth at least 5 as subclasses. It was conjectured by Alon, Sudakov and Zaks (and much earlier by Fiamcik) that a′(G)?Δ + 2, where Δ = Δ(G) denotes the maximum degree of the graph. We prove the conjecture for 2‐degenerate graphs. In fact we prove a stronger bound: we prove that if G is a 2‐degenerate graph with maximum degree Δ, then a′(G)?Δ + 1. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 69: 1–27, 2012     

Edge‐face coloring of plane graphs with maximum degree nine

An edge‐face coloring of a plane graph with edge set E and face set F is a coloring of the elements of E∪F so that adjacent or incident elements receive different colors. Borodin [Discrete Math 128(1–3):21–33, 1994] proved that every plane graph of maximum degree Δ?10 can be edge‐face colored with Δ + 1 colors. We extend Borodin's result to the case where Δ = 9. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 66:332‐346, 2011     

Nowhere‐zero 3‐flows in locally connected graphs

Let G be a graph. For each vertex v ∈V(G), N_v denotes the subgraph induces by the vertices adjacent to v in G. The graph G is locally k‐edge‐connected if for each vertex v ∈V(G), N_v is k‐edge‐connected. In this paper we study the existence of nowhere‐zero 3‐flows in locally k‐edge‐connected graphs. In particular, we show that every 2‐edge‐connected, locally 3‐edge‐connected graph admits a nowhere‐zero 3‐flow. This result is best possible in the sense that there exists an infinite family of 2‐edge‐connected, locally 2‐edge‐connected graphs each of which does not have a 3‐NZF. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 42: 211–219, 2003     

Acyclic Edge Coloring of Triangle‐Free Planar Graphs

An acyclic edge coloring of a graph is a proper edge coloring such that there are no bichromatic cycles. The acyclic chromatic index of a graph is the minimum number k such that there is an acyclic edge coloring using k colors and is denoted by a′(G). It was conjectured by Alon, Sudakov and Zaks (and much earlier by Fiamcik) that a′(G) ? Δ + 2, where Δ = Δ(G) denotes the maximum degree of the graph. If every induced subgraph H of G satisfies the condition |E(H)| ? 2|V(H)|?1, we say that the graph G satisfies Property A. In this article, we prove that if G satisfies Property A, then a′(G) ? Δ + 3. Triangle‐free planar graphs satisfy Property A. We infer that a′(G) ? Δ + 3, if G is a triangle‐free planar graph. Another class of graph which satisfies Property A is 2‐fold graphs (union of two forests). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Sufficient conditions for λ′‐optimality in graphs with girth g

For a connected graph the restricted edge‐connectivity λ′(G) is defined as the minimum cardinality of an edge‐cut over all edge‐cuts S such that there are no isolated vertices in G–S. A graph G is said to be λ′‐optimal if λ′(G) = ξ(G), where ξ(G) is the minimum edge‐degree in G defined as ξ(G) = min{d(u) + d(v) ? 2:uv ∈ E(G)}, d(u) denoting the degree of a vertex u. A. Hellwig and L. Volkmann [Sufficient conditions for λ′‐optimality in graphs of diameter 2, Discrete Math 283 (2004), 113–120] gave a sufficient condition for λ′‐optimality in graphs of diameter 2. In this paper, we generalize this condition in graphs of diameter g ? 1, g being the girth of the graph, and show that a graph G with diameter at most g ? 2 is λ′‐optimal. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 52: 73–86, 2006     

Minors in large almost‐5‐connected non‐planar graphs

It is shown that every sufficiently large almost‐5‐connected non‐planar graph contains a minor isomorphic to an arbitrarily large graph from one of six families of graphs. The graphs in these families are also almost‐5‐connected, by which we mean that they are 4‐connected and all 4‐separations contain a “small” side. As a corollary, every sufficiently large almost‐5‐connected non‐planar graph contains both a K_{3, 4}‐minor and a ‐minor. The connectivity condition cannot be reduced to 4‐connectivity, as there are known infinite families of 4‐connected non‐planar graphs that do not contain a K_{3, 4}‐minor. Similarly, there are known infinite families of 4‐connected non‐planar graphs that do not contain a ‐minor.     

On triangles in ‐minor free graphs

We study graphs where each edge that is incident to a vertex of small degree (of degree at most 7 and 9, respectively) belongs to many triangles (at least 4 and 5, respectively) and show that these graphs contain a complete graph (K₆ and K₇, respectively) as a minor. The second case settles a problem of Nevo. Moreover, if each edge of a graph belongs to six triangles, then the graph contains a K₈‐minor or contains K_{2, 2, 2, 2, 2} as an induced subgraph. We then show applications of these structural properties to stress freeness and coloring of graphs. In particular, motivated by Hadwiger's conjecture, we prove that every K₇‐minor free graph is 8‐colorable and every K₈‐minor free graph is 10‐colorable.     

Obstruction sets for outer‐cylindrical graphs

A graph is outer‐cylindrical if it embeds in the sphere so that there are two distinct faces whose boundaries together contain all the vertices. The class of outer‐cylindrical graphs is closed under minors. We give the complete set of 38 minor‐minimal non‐outer‐cylindrical graphs, or equivalently, an excluded minor characterization of outer‐cylindrical graphs. We also give the obstruction sets under the related topological ordering and Y Δ‐ordering. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 38: 42–64, 2001     

Odd 4‐edge‐colorability of graphs

An odd k‐edge‐coloring of a graph G is a (not necessarily proper) edge‐coloring with at most k colors such that each nonempty color class induces a graph in which every vertex is of odd degree. Pyber (1991) showed that every simple graph is odd 4‐edge‐colorable, and Lužar et al. (2015) showed that connected loopless graphs are odd 5‐edge‐colorable, with one particular exception that is odd 6‐edge‐colorable. In this article, we prove that connected loopless graphs are odd 4‐edge‐colorable, with two particular exceptions that are respectively odd 5‐ and odd 6‐edge‐colorable. Moreover, a color class can be reduced to a size at most 2.     

Sufficient conditions for graphs to be λ′‐optimal,super‐edge‐connected,and maximally edge‐connected

The restricted‐edge‐connectivity of a graph G, denoted by λ′(G), is defined as the minimum cardinality over all edge‐cuts S of G, where G‐S contains no isolated vertices. The graph G is called λ′‐optimal, if λ′(G) = ξ(G), where ξ(G) is the minimum edge‐degree in G. A graph is super‐edge‐connected, if every minimum edge‐cut consists of edges adjacent to a vertex of minimum degree. In this paper, we present sufficient conditions for arbitrary, triangle‐free, and bipartite graphs to be λ′‐optimal, as well as conditions depending on the clique number. These conditions imply super‐edge‐connectivity, if δ (G) ≥ 3, and the equality of edge‐connectivity and minimum degree. Different examples will show that these conditions are best possible and independent of other results in this area. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 228–246, 2005     

New ‐Edge‐Balanced Graphs from Bipartite Graphs

Let G be a graph of order n satisfying that there exists for which every graph of order n and size t is contained in exactly λ distinct subgraphs of the complete graph isomorphic to G. Then G is called t‐edge‐balanced and λ the index of G. In this article, new examples of 2‐edge‐balanced graphs are constructed from bipartite graphs and some further methods are introduced to obtain more from old.     

Some 3‐connected 4‐edge‐critical non‐Hamiltonian graphs

Let γ(G) be the domination number of graph G, thus a graph G is k‐edge‐critical if γ (G) = k, and for every nonadjacent pair of vertices u and υ, γ(G + uυ) = k?1. In Chapter 16 of the book “Domination in Graphs—Advanced Topics,” D. Sumner cites a conjecture of E. Wojcicka under the form “3‐connected 4‐critical graphs are Hamiltonian and perhaps, in general (i.e., for any k ≥ 4), (k?1)‐connected, k‐edge‐critical graphs are Hamiltonian.” In this paper, we prove that the conjecture is not true for k = 4 by constructing a class of 3‐connected 4‐edge‐critical non‐Hamiltonian graphs. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs and non‐normal Cayley graphs

Let X be a vertex‐transitive graph, that is, the automorphism group Aut(X) of X is transitive on the vertex set of X. The graph X is said to be symmetric if Aut(X) is transitive on the arc set of X. suppose that Aut(X) has two orbits of the same length on the arc set of X. Then X is said to be half‐arc‐transitive or half‐edge‐transitive if Aut(X) has one or two orbits on the edge set of X, respectively. Stabilizers of symmetric and half‐arc‐transitive graphs have been investigated by many authors. For example, see Tutte [Canad J Math 11 (1959), 621–624] and Conder and Maru?i? [J Combin Theory Ser B 88 (2003), 67–76]. It is trivial to construct connected tetravalent symmetric graphs with arbitrarily large stabilizers, and by Maru?i? [Discrete Math 299 (2005), 180–193], connected tetravalent half‐arc‐transitive graphs can have arbitrarily large stabilizers. In this article, we show that connected tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs can also have arbitrarily large stabilizers. A Cayley graph Cay(G, S) on a group G is said to be normal if the right regular representation R(G) of G is normal in Aut(Cay(G, S)). There are only a few known examples of connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on non‐abelian simple groups. In this article, we give a sufficient condition for non‐normal Cayley graphs and by using the condition, infinitely many connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs are constructed. As an application, all connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on the alternating group A₆ are determined. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

New Infinite Families of 2‐Edge‐Balanced Graphs

A graph G of order n is called t‐edge‐balanced if G satisfies the property that there exists a positive λ for which every graph of order n and size t is contained in exactly λ distinct subgraphs of isomorphic to G. We call λ the index of G. In this article, we obtain new infinite families of 2‐edge‐balanced graphs.     

Claw‐free 3‐connected P11‐free graphs are hamiltonian

We show that every 3‐connected claw‐free graph which contains no induced copy of P₁₁ is hamiltonian. Since there exist non‐hamiltonian 3‐connected claw‐free graphs without induced copies of P₁₂ this result is, in a way, best possible. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 47: 111–121, 2004     

A characterization of weakly four‐connected graphs

A graph G = (V, E) is called weakly four‐connected if G is 4‐edge‐connected and G ? x is 2‐edge‐connected for all x ∈ V. We give sufficient conditions for the existence of ‘splittable’ vertices of degree four in weakly four‐connected graphs. By using these results we prove that every minimally weakly four‐connected graph on at least four vertices contains at least three ‘splittable’ vertices of degree four, which gives rise to an inductive construction of weakly four‐connected graphs. Our results can also be applied in the problem of finding 2‐connected orientations of graphs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 52: 217–229, 2006