Iteratedk-line graphs

For integersk≥2, thek-line graph L_k(G) of a graph G is defined as a graph whose vertices correspond to the complete subgraphs onk vertices in G with two distinct vertices adjacent if the corresponding complete subgraphs have 1 common vertices inG. We define iteratedk-line graphs byL _k ⁿ (G) ?L _k (L _k ^n?1 (G), whereL _k ⁰ (G) ?G. In this paper the iterated behavior of thek-line graph operator is investigated. It turns out that the behavior is quite different fork = 2 (the well-known line graph case),k = 3, and k≥4.     

On n-Hamiltonian line graphs

With each nonempty graph G one can associate a graph L(G), called the line graph of G, with the property that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between E(G) and V(L(G)) such that two vertices of L(G) are adjacent if and only if the corresponding edges of G are adjacent. For integers m ≥ 2, the mth iterated line graph L^m(G) of G is defined to be L(L^m-1(G)). A graph G of order p ≥ 3 is n-Hamiltonian, 0 ≤ n ≤ p ? 3, if the removal of any k vertices, 0 ≤ k ≤ n, results in a Hamiltonian graph. It is shown that if G is a connected graph with δ(G) ≥ 3, where δ(G) denotes the minimum degree of G, then L²(G) is (δ(G) ? 3)-Hamiltonian. Furthermore, if G is 2-connected and δ(G) ≥ 4, then L²(G) is (2δ(G) ? 4)-Hamiltonian. For a connected graph G which is neither a path, a cycle, nor the graph K(1, 3) and for any positive integer n, the existence of an integer k such that L^m(G) is n-Hamiltonian for every m ≥ k is exhibited. Then, for the special case n = 1, bounds on (and, in some cases, the exact value of) the smallest such integer k are determined for various classes of graphs.     

Graph parameters measuring neighbourhoods in graphs—Bounds and applications

The neighbourhood-width of a graph G=(V,E) is introduced in [F. Gurski, Linear layouts measuring neighbourhoods in graphs, Discrete Math. 306 (15) (2006) 1637-1650.] as the smallest integer k such that there is a linear layout ?:V→{1,…,|V|} such that for every 1?i<|V| the vertices u with ?(u)?i can be divided into at most k subsets each members having the same neighbours with respect to the vertices v with ?(v)>i.In this paper we show first bounds for the neighbourhood-width of general graphs, caterpillars, trees and grid graphs and give applications of the layout parameter neighbourhood-width in graph drawing and VLSI design.     

Closure, stability and iterated line graphs with a 2-factor

We consider 2-factors with a bounded number of components in the n-times iterated line graph Lⁿ(G). We first give a characterization of graph G such that Lⁿ(G) has a 2-factor containing at most k components, based on the existence of a certain type of subgraph in G. This generalizes the main result of [L. Xiong, Z. Liu, Hamiltonian iterated line graphs, Discrete Math. 256 (2002) 407-422]. We use this result to show that the minimum number of components of 2-factors in the iterated line graphs Lⁿ(G) is stable under the closure operation on a claw-free graph G. This extends results in [Z. Ryjá?ek, On a closure concept in claw-free graphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 70 (1997) 217-224; Z. Ryjá?ek, A. Saito, R.H. Schelp, Closure, 2-factors and cycle coverings in claw-free graphs, J. Graph Theory 32 (1999) 109-117; L. Xiong, Z. Ryjá?ek, H.J. Broersma, On stability of the hamiltonian index under contractions and closures, J. Graph Theory 49 (2005) 104-115].     

Connectivity of iterated line graphs

Let k≥0 be an integer and L^k(G) be the kth iterated line graph of a graph G. Niepel and Knor proved that if G is a 4-connected graph, then κ(L²(G))≥4δ(G)−6. We show that the connectivity of G can be relaxed. In fact, we prove in this note that if G is an essentially 4-edge-connected and 3-connected graph, then κ(L²(G))≥4δ(G)−6. Similar bounds are obtained for essentially 4-edge-connected and 2-connected (1-connected) graphs.     

Hamiltonian connectedness in 3-connected line graphs

We investigate graphs G such that the line graph L(G) is hamiltonian connected if and only if L(G) is 3-connected, and prove that if each 3-edge-cut contains an edge lying in a short cycle of G, then L(G) has the above mentioned property. Our result extends Kriesell’s recent result in [M. Kriesell, All 4-connected line graphs of claw free graphs are hamiltonian-connected, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 82 (2001) 306-315] that every 4-connected line graph of a claw free graph is hamiltonian connected. Another application of our main result shows that if L(G) does not have an hourglass (a graph isomorphic to K₅−E(C₄), where C₄ is an cycle of length 4 in K₅) as an induced subgraph, and if every 3-cut of L(G) is not independent, then L(G) is hamiltonian connected if and only if κ(L(G))≥3, which extends a recent result by Kriesell [M. Kriesell, All 4-connected line graphs of claw free graphs are hamiltonian-connected, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 82 (2001) 306-315] that every 4-connected hourglass free line graph is hamiltonian connected.     

Spanning Connectivity of the Power of a Graph and Hamilton-Connected Index of a Graph

Let G = (V, E) be a connected graph. The hamiltonian index h(G) (Hamilton-connected index hc(G)) of G is the least nonnegative integer k for which the iterated line graph L ^k (G) is hamiltonian (Hamilton-connected). In this paper we show the following. (a) If |V(G)| ≥ k + 1 ≥ 4, then in G ^k , for any pair of distinct vertices {u, v}, there exists k internally disjoint (u, v)-paths that contains all vertices of G; (b) for a tree T,  h(T) ≤ hc(T) ≤ h(T) + 1, and for a unicyclic graph G,  h(G) ≤ hc(G) ≤ max{h(G) + 1, k′ + 1}, where k′ is the length of a longest path with all vertices on the cycle such that the two ends of it are of degree at least 3 and all internal vertices are of degree 2; (c) we also characterize the trees and unicyclic graphs G for which hc(G) = h(G) + 1.     

Perfect k-line graphs and k-total graphs

The concept of the line graph can be generalized as follows. The k-line graph L_k(G) of a graph G is defined as a graph whose vertices are the complete subgraphs on k vertices in G. Two distinct such complete subgraphs are adjacent in L_k(G) if and only if they have in G k ? 1 vertices in common. The concept of the total graph can be generalized similarly. Then the Perfect Graph Conjecture will be proved for 3-line graphs and 3-total graphs. Moreover, perfect 3-line graphs are not contained in any of the known classes of perfect graphs. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Equivariant collapses and the homotopy type of iterated clique graphs

The clique graph K(G) of a simple graph G is the intersection graph of its maximal complete subgraphs, and we define iterated clique graphs by K⁰(G)=G, Kⁿ⁺¹(G)=K(Kⁿ(G)). We say that two graphs are homotopy equivalent if their simplicial complexes of complete subgraphs are so. From known results, it can be easily inferred that Kⁿ(G) is homotopy equivalent to G for every n if G belongs to the class of clique-Helly graphs or to the class of dismantlable graphs. However, in both of these cases the collection of iterated clique graphs is finite up to isomorphism. In this paper, we show two infinite classes of clique-divergent graphs that satisfy G?Kⁿ(G) for all n, moreover Kⁿ(G) and G are simple-homotopy equivalent. We provide some results on simple-homotopy type that are of independent interest.     

Edge-connectivity and edge-superconnectivity in sequence graphs

Given an integer k?1 and any graph G, the sequence graph S_k(G) is the graph whose set of vertices is the set of all walks of length k in G. Moreover, two vertices of S_k(G) are joined by an edge if and only if their corresponding walks are adjacent in G.In this paper we prove sufficient conditions for a sequence graph S_k(G) to be maximally edge-connected and edge-superconnected depending on the parity of k and on the vertex-connectivity of the original graph G.     

Clique-critical graphs: Maximum size and recognition

The clique graph of G, K(G), is the intersection graph of the family of cliques (maximal complete sets) of G. Clique-critical graphs were defined as those whose clique graph changes whenever a vertex is removed. We prove that if G has m edges then any clique-critical graph in K^-1(G) has at most 2m vertices, which solves a question posed by Escalante and Toft [On clique-critical graphs, J. Combin. Theory B 17 (1974) 170-182]. The proof is based on a restatement of their characterization of clique-critical graphs. Moreover, the bound is sharp. We also show that the problem of recognizing clique-critical graphs is NP-complete.     

Distance-biregular graphs with 2-valent vertices and distance-regular line graphs

A graph G is called distance-regularized if each vertex of G admits an intersection array. It is known that every distance-regularized graph is either distance-regular (DR) or distance-biregular (DBR). Note that DBR means that the graph is bipartite and the vertices in the same color class have the same intersection array. A (k, g)-graph is a k-regular graph with girth g and with the minimum possible number of vertices consistent with these properties. Biggs proved that, if the line graph L(G) is distance-transitive, then G is either K_1,n or a (k, g)-graph. This result is generalized to DR graphs by showing that the following are equivalent: (1) L(G) is DR and G ≠ K_1,n for n ≥ 2, (2) G and L(G) are both DR, (3) subdivision graph S(G) is DBR, and (4) G is a (k, g)-graph. This result is used to show that a graph S is a DBR graph with 2-valent vertices iff S = K_2,′ or S is the subdivision graph of a (k, g)-graph. Let G⁽²⁾ be the graph with vertex set that of G and two vertices adjacent if at distance two in G. It is shown that for a DBR graph G, G⁽²⁾ is two DR graphs. It is proved that a DR graph H without triangles can be obtained as a component of G⁽²⁾ if and only if it is a (k, g)-graph with g ≥ 4.     

A common generalization of line graphs and clique graphs

Both the line graph and the clique graph are defined as intersection graphs of certain families of complete subgraphs of a graph. We generalize this concept. By a k-edge of a graph we mean a complete subgraph with k vertices or a clique with fewer than k vertices. The k-edge graph Δ_k(G) of a graph G is defined as the intersection graph of the set of all k-edges of G. The following three problems are investigated for k-edge graphs. The first is the characterization problem. Second, sets of graphs closed under the k-edge graph operator are found. The third problem is the question of convergence: What happens to a graph if we take iterated k-edge graphs?     

Collapsible graphs and reductions of line graphs

A graph G is collapsible if for every even subset X⊆V(G), G has a subgraph Γ such that G−E(Γ) is connected and the set of odd-degree vertices of Γ is X. A graph obtained by contracting all the non-trivial collapsible subgraphs of G is called the reduction of G. In this paper, we characterize graphs of diameter two in terms of collapsible subgraphs and investigate the relationship between the line graph of the reduction and the reduction of the line graph. Our results extend former results in [H.-J. Lai, Reduced graph of diameter two, J. Graph Theory 14 (1) (1990) 77-87], and in [P.A. Catlin, Iqblunnisa, T.N. Janakiraman, N. Srinivasan, Hamilton cycles and closed trails in iterated line graphs, J. Graph Theory 14 (1990) 347-364].     

A Family of Clique Divergent Graphs with Linear Growth

We present an infinite set A of finite graphs such that for any graph G e A the order | V(k ⁿ (G))| of the n-th iterated clique graph k ⁿ (G) is a linear function of n. We also give examples of graphs G such that | V(k ⁿ(G))| is a polynomial of any given positive degree.     

Upper Bounds for the Rainbow Connection Numbers of Line Graphs

A path in an edge-colored graph G, where adjacent edges may be colored the same, is called a rainbow path if no two edges of it are colored the same. A nontrivial connected graph G is rainbow connected if for any two vertices of G there is a rainbow path connecting them. The rainbow connection number of G, denoted rc(G), is defined as the smallest number of colors such that G is rainbow connected. In this paper, we mainly study the rainbow connection number rc(L(G)) of the line graph L(G) of a graph G which contains triangles. We get two sharp upper bounds for rc(L(G)), in terms of the number of edge-disjoint triangles of G. We also give results on the iterated line graphs.     

On distance-3 matchings and induced matchings

For a finite undirected graph G=(V,E) and positive integer k≥1, an edge set M⊆E is a distance-k matching if the pairwise distance of edges in M is at least k in G. For k=1, this gives the usual notion of matching in graphs, and for general k≥1, distance-k matchings were called k-separated matchings by Stockmeyer and Vazirani. The special case k=2 has been studied under the names induced matching (i.e., a matching which forms an induced subgraph in G) by Cameron and strong matching by Golumbic and Laskar in various papers.Finding a maximum induced matching is NP-complete even on very restricted bipartite graphs and on claw-free graphs but it can be done efficiently on various classes of graphs such as chordal graphs, based on the fact that an induced matching in G corresponds to an independent vertex set in the square L(G)² of the line graph L(G) of G which, by a result of Cameron, is chordal for any chordal graph G.We show that, unlike for k=2, for a chordal graph G, L(G)³ is not necessarily chordal, and finding a maximum distance-3 matching, and more generally, finding a maximum distance-(2k+1) matching for k≥1, remains NP-complete on chordal graphs. For strongly chordal graphs and interval graphs, however, the maximum distance-k matching problem can be solved in polynomial time for every k≥1. Moreover, we obtain various new results for maximum induced matchings on subclasses of claw-free graphs.     

Total edge irregularity strength of complete graphs and complete bipartite graphs

A total edge irregular k-labelling ν of a graph G is a labelling of the vertices and edges of G with labels from the set {1,…,k} in such a way that for any two different edges e and f their weights φ(f) and φ(e) are distinct. Here, the weight of an edge g=uv is φ(g)=ν(g)+ν(u)+ν(v), i. e. the sum of the label of g and the labels of vertices u and v. The minimum k for which the graph G has an edge irregular total k-labelling is called the total edge irregularity strength of G.We have determined the exact value of the total edge irregularity strength of complete graphs and complete bipartite graphs.     

Matching graphs

The matching graph M(G) of a graph G is that graph whose vertices are the maximum matchings in G and where two vertices M₁ and M₂ of M(G) are adjacent if and only if |M₁ − M₂| = 1. When M(G) is connected, this graph models a metric space whose metric is defined on the set of maximum matchings in G. Which graphs are matching graphs of some graph is not known in general. We determine several forbidden induced subgraphs of matching graphs and add even cycles to the list of known matching graphs. In another direction, we study the behavior of sequences of iterated matching graphs. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Graph Theory 29: 73–86, 1998     

Strictly Deza line graphs

For a given graph G, its line graph L(G) is defined as the graph with vertex set equal to the edge set of G in which two vertices are adjacent if and only if the corresponding edges of G have exactly one common vertex. A k-regular graph of diameter 2 on υ vertices is called a strictly Deza graph with parameters (υ, k, b, a) if it is not strongly regular and any two vertices have a or b common neighbors. We give a classification of strictly Deza line graphs.