On the geodetic number and related metric sets in Cartesian product graphs

A set S of vertices of a graph G is a geodetic set if every vertex of G lies in at least one interval between the vertices of S. The size of a minimum geodetic set in G is the geodetic number of G. Upper bounds for the geodetic number of Cartesian product graphs are proved and for several classes exact values are obtained. It is proved that many metrically defined sets in Cartesian products have product structure and that the contour set of a Cartesian product is geodetic if and only if their projections are geodetic sets in factors.     

The fractional chromatic number, the Hall ratio, and the lexicographic product

Let χ_f denote the fractional chromatic number and ρ the Hall ratio, and let the lexicographic product of G and H be denoted GlexH. Main results: (i) ρ(GlexH)≤χ_f(G)ρ(H); (ii) if ρ(G)=χ_f(G) then ρ(GlexH)=ρ(G)ρ(H) for all H; (iii) χ_f−ρ is unbounded. In addition, the question of how big χ_f/ρ can be is discussed.     

Toll number of the Cartesian and the lexicographic product of graphs

Toll convexity is a variation of the so-called interval convexity. A tolled walk $T$ between two non-adjacent vertices $u$ and $v$ in a graph $G$ is a walk, in which $u$ is adjacent only to the second vertex of $T$ and $v$ is adjacent only to the second-to-last vertex of $T$. A toll interval between $u,v\in V\left(G\right)$ is a set $T_G(u,v)=\{x\in V\left(G\right):x\text{ lies on a tolled walk between }u\text{ and }v\}$. A set $S?V\left(G\right)$ is toll convex, if $T_G(u,v)?S$ for all $u,v\in S$. A toll closure of a set $S?V\left(G\right)$ is the union of toll intervals between all pairs of vertices from $S$. The size of a smallest set $S$ whose toll closure is the whole vertex set is called a toll number of a graph $G$, $tn\left(G\right)$. The first part of the paper reinvestigates the characterization of convex sets in the Cartesian product of two graphs. It is proved that the toll number of the Cartesian product of two graphs equals 2. In the second part, the toll number of the lexicographic product of two graphs is studied. It is shown that if $H$ is not isomorphic to a complete graph, $tn(G°H)\le 3?tn\left(G\right)$. We give some necessary and sufficient conditions for $tn(G°H)=3?tn\left(G\right)$. Moreover, if $G$ has at least two extreme vertices, a complete characterization is given. Furthermore, graphs with $tn(G°H)=2$ are characterized. Finally, the formula for $tn(G°H)$ is given — it is described in terms of the so-called toll-dominating triples or, if $H$ is complete, toll-dominating pairs.     

A proof of a conjecture of Sabidussi on graphs idempotent under the lexicographic product

In 1960, Sabidussi conjectured that if a graph G is isomorphic to the lexicographic product G[G], then the wreath product of by itself is a proper subgroup of . A positive answer is provided by constructing an automorphism Ψ of G[G] which satisfies: for every vertex x of G, there is an infinite subset I(x) of V(G) such that Ψ({x}×V(G))=I(x)×V(G).     

The hull and geodetic numbers of orientations of graphs

For an oriented graph D, let I_D[u,v] denote the set of all vertices lying on a u-v geodesic or a v-u geodesic. For S⊆V(D), let I_D[S] denote the union of all I_D[u,v] for all u,v∈S. Let [S]_D denote the smallest convex set containing S. The geodetic number g(D) of an oriented graph D is the minimum cardinality of a set S with I_D[S]=V(D) and the hull number h(D) of an oriented graph D is the minimum cardinality of a set S with [S]_D=V(D). For a connected graph G, let O(G) be the set of all orientations of G, define g⁻(G)=min{g(D):D∈O(G)}, g⁺(G)=max{g(D):D∈O(G)}, h⁻(G)=min{h(D):D∈O(G)}, and h⁺(G)=max{h(D):D∈O(G)}. By the above definitions, h⁻(G)≤g⁻(G) and h⁺(G)≤g⁺(G). In the paper, we prove that g⁻(G)<h⁺(G) for a connected graph G of order at least 3, and for any nonnegative integers a and b, there exists a connected graph G such that g⁻(G)−h⁻(G)=a and g⁺(G)−h⁺(G)=b. These results answer a problem of Farrugia in [A. Farrugia, Orientable convexity, geodetic and hull numbers in graphs, Discrete Appl. Math. 148 (2005) 256-262].     

On wreathed lexicographic products of graphs

This paper proves a necessary and sufficient condition for the endomorphism monoid of a lexicographic product G[H] of graphs G,H to be the wreath product of the monoids and . The paper also gives respective necessary and sufficient conditions for specialized cases such as for unretractive or triangle-free graphs G.     

The upper connected geodetic number and forcing connected geodetic number of a graph

For a connected graph G of order p≥2, a set S⊆V(G) is a geodetic set of G if each vertex v∈V(G) lies on an x-y geodesic for some elements x and y in S. The minimum cardinality of a geodetic set of G is defined as the geodetic number of G, denoted by g(G). A geodetic set of cardinality g(G) is called a g-set of G. A connected geodetic set of G is a geodetic set S such that the subgraph G[S] induced by S is connected. The minimum cardinality of a connected geodetic set of G is the connected geodetic number of G and is denoted by g_c(G). A connected geodetic set of cardinality g_c(G) is called a g_c-set of G. A connected geodetic set S in a connected graph G is called a minimal connected geodetic set if no proper subset of S is a connected geodetic set of G. The upper connected geodetic number is the maximum cardinality of a minimal connected geodetic set of G. We determine bounds for and determine the same for some special classes of graphs. For positive integers r,d and n≥d+1 with r≤d≤2r, there exists a connected graph G with , and . Also, for any positive integers 2≤a<b≤c, there exists a connected graph G such that g(G)=a, g_c(G)=b and . A subset T of a g_c-set S is called a forcing subset for S if S is the unique g_c-set containing T. A forcing subset for S of minimum cardinality is a minimum forcing subset of S. The forcing connected geodetic number of S, denoted by f_c(S), is the cardinality of a minimum forcing subset of S. The forcing connected geodetic number of G, denoted by f_c(G), is f_c(G)=min{f_c(S)}, where the minimum is taken over all g_c-sets S in G. It is shown that for every pair a,b of integers with 0≤a≤b−4, there exists a connected graph G such that f_c(G)=a and g_c(G)=b.     

The forcing hull and forcing geodetic numbers of graphs

For every pair of vertices u,v in a graph, a u-v geodesic is a shortest path from u to v. For a graph G, let I_G[u,v] denote the set of all vertices lying on a u-v geodesic. Let S⊆V(G) and I_G[S] denote the union of all I_G[u,v] for all u,v∈S. A subset S⊆V(G) is a convex set of G if I_G[S]=S. A convex hull [S]_G of S is a minimum convex set containing S. A subset S of V(G) is a hull set of G if [S]_G=V(G). The hull number h(G) of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a hull set in G. A subset S of V(G) is a geodetic set if I_G[S]=V(G). The geodetic number g(G) of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a geodetic set in G. A subset F⊆V(G) is called a forcing hull (or geodetic) subset of G if there exists a unique minimum hull (or geodetic) set containing F. The cardinality of a minimum forcing hull subset in G is called the forcing hull number f_h(G) of G and the cardinality of a minimum forcing geodetic subset in G is called the forcing geodetic number f_g(G) of G. In the paper, we construct some 2-connected graph G with (f_h(G),f_g(G))=(0,0),(1,0), or (0,1), and prove that, for any nonnegative integers a, b, and c with a+b≥2, there exists a 2-connected graph G with (f_h(G),f_g(G),h(G),g(G))=(a,b,a+b+c,a+2b+c) or (a,2a+b,a+b+c,2a+2b+c). These results confirm a conjecture of Chartrand and Zhang proposed in [G. Chartrand, P. Zhang, The forcing hull number of a graph, J. Combin. Math. Combin. Comput. 36 (2001) 81-94].     

On the ultimate lexicographic Hall-ratio

The Hall-ratio ρ(G) of a graph G is the ratio of the number of vertices and the independence number maximized over all subgraphs of G. The ultimate lexicographic Hall-ratio of a graph G is defined as , where G^°n denotes the nth lexicographic power of G (that is, n times repeated substitution of G into itself). Here we prove the conjecture of Simonyi stating that the ultimate lexicographic Hall-ratio equals the fractional chromatic number for all graphs.     

星形图乘积的pebbling数

图 G的 pebbling数 f(G)是最小的整数 n,使得不论 n个 pebble如何放置在 G的顶点上 ,总可以通过一系列的 pebbling移动把一个 pebble移到任意一个顶点上 ,其中的 pebbling移动是从一个顶点上移走两个 pebble而把其中的一个移到与其相邻的一个顶点上 .设 K1,n为 n+1个顶点的星形图 .本文证明了 (n+2 )(m+2 )≥ f K1,n× K1,m)≥ (n+1) (m+1) +7,n>1,m>1.     

Decomposition tree of a lexicographic product of binary structures

Given a set S and a positive integer k, a binary structure is a function . The set S is denoted by V(B) and the integer k is denoted by . With each subset X of V(B) associate the binary substructure B[X] of B induced by X defined by B[X](x,y)=B(x,y) for any x≠y∈X. A subset X of V(B) is a clan of B if for any x,y∈X and v∈V(B)?X, B(x,v)=B(y,v) and B(v,x)=B(v,y). A subset X of V(B) is a hyperclan of B if X is a clan of B satisfying: for every clan Y of B, if X∩Y≠0?, then X⊆Y or Y⊆X. With each binary structure B associate the family Π(B) of the maximal proper and nonempty hyperclans under inclusion of B. The decomposition tree of a binary structure B is constituted by the hyperclans X of B such that Π(B[X])≠0? and by the elements of Π(B[X]). Given binary structures B and C such that , the lexicographic product B⌊C⌋ of C by B is defined on V(B)×V(C) as follows. For any (x,y)≠(x^′,y^′)∈V(B)×V(C), B⌊C⌋((x,x^′),(y,y^′))=B(x,y) if x≠y and B⌊C⌋((x,x^′),(y,y^′))=C(x^′,y^′) if x=y. The decomposition tree of the lexicographic product B⌊C⌋ is described from the decomposition trees of B and C.     

广义字典序积的自同态幺半群

讨论了图的广义字典序积的自同态幺半群的性质,给出了广义字典序积图X[Yz|x∈V（X）]的自同态幺半群与X,Yx(x∈V(X))的自同态幺半群的圈积相等的充要条件。     

Spectra and Laplacian spectra of arbitrary powers of lexicographic products of graphs

Consider two graphs $G$ and $H$. Let $H^k\left[G\right]$ be the lexicographic product of $H^k$ and $G$, where $H^k$ is the lexicographic product of the graph $H$ by itself $k$ times. In this paper, we determine the spectrum of $H^k\left[G\right]$ and $H^k$ when $G$ and $H$ are regular and the Laplacian spectrum of $H^k\left[G\right]$ and $H^k$ for $G$ and $H$ arbitrary. Particular emphasis is given to the least eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix in the case of lexicographic powers of regular graphs, and to the algebraic connectivity and the largest Laplacian eigenvalues in the case of lexicographic powers of arbitrary graphs. This approach allows the determination of the spectrum (in case of regular graphs) and Laplacian spectrum (for arbitrary graphs) of huge graphs. As an example, the spectrum of the lexicographic power of the Petersen graph with the googol number (that is, 10¹⁰⁰ ) of vertices is determined. The paper finishes with the extension of some well known spectral and combinatorial invariant properties of graphs to its lexicographic powers.     

On optimizing edge connectivity of product graphs

This work studies the super edge connectivity and super restricted edge connectivity of direct product graphs, Cartesian product graphs, strong product graphs and lexicographic product graphs. As a result, sufficient conditions for optimizing the edge connectivity and restricted edge connectivity of these graphs are presented.     

On pitfalls in computing the geodetic number of a graph

Given a simple connected graph G = (V, E) the geodetic closure of a subset S of V is the union of all sets of nodes lying on some geodesic (or shortest path) joining a pair of nodes . The geodetic number, denoted by g(G), is the smallest cardinality of a node set S ^* such that I[S ^*] = V. In “The geodetic number of a graph”, [Harary et al. in Math. Comput. Model. 17:89–95, 1993] propose an incorrect algorithm to find the geodetic number of a graph G. We provide counterexamples and show why the proposed approach must fail. We then develop a 0–1 integer programming model to find the geodetic number. Computational results are given.     

Game chromatic number of strong product graphs

The graph coloring game is a two-player game in which the two players properly color an uncolored vertex of G alternately. The first player wins the game if all vertices of G are colored, and the second wins otherwise. The game chromatic number of a graph G is the minimum integer k such that the first player has a winning strategy for the graph coloring game on G with k colors. There is a lot of literature on the game chromatic number of graph products, e.g., the Cartesian product and the lexicographic product. In this paper, we investigate the game chromatic number of the strong product of graphs, which is one of major graph products. In particular, we completely determine the game chromatic number of the strong product of a double star and a complete graph. Moreover, we estimate the game chromatic number of some King's graphs, which are the strong products of two paths.     

Some remarks on the geodetic number of a graph

A set of vertices D of a graph G is geodetic if every vertex of G lies on a shortest path between two not necessarily distinct vertices in D. The geodetic number of G is the minimum cardinality of a geodetic set of G.We prove that it is NP-complete to decide for a given chordal or chordal bipartite graph G and a given integer k whether G has a geodetic set of cardinality at most k. Furthermore, we prove an upper bound on the geodetic number of graphs without short cycles and study the geodetic number of cographs, split graphs, and unit interval graphs.     

Lower bounds for the domination number and the total domination number of direct product graphs

A sharp lower bound for the domination number and the total domination number of the direct product of finitely many complete graphs is given: . Sharpness is established in the case when the factors are large enough in comparison to the number of factors. The main result gives a lower bound for the domination (and the total domination) number of the direct product of two arbitrary graphs: γ(G×H)≥γ(G)+γ(H)−1. Infinite families of graphs that attain the bound are presented. For these graphs it also holds that γ_t(G×H)=γ(G)+γ(H)−1. Some additional parallels with the total domination number are made.     

Altermatic number of categorical product of graphs

In this paper, we prove some relaxations of Hedetniemi’s conjecture in terms of altermatic number and strong altermatic number of graphs, two combinatorial parameters introduced by the present authors Alishahi and Hajiabolhassan (2015) providing two sharp lower bounds for the chromatic number of graphs. In terms of these parameters, we also introduce some sharp lower bounds for the chromatic number of the categorical product of two graphs. Using these lower bounds, we present some new families of graphs supporting Hedetniemi’s conjecture.