The Zero-Divisor Graph Associated to a Semigroup

The zero-divisor graph of a commutative semigroup with zero is the graph whose vertices are the nonzero zero-divisors of the semigroup, with two distinct vertices adjacent if the product of the corresponding elements is zero. New criteria to identify zero-divisor graphs are derived using both graph-theoretic and algebraic methods. We find the lowest bound on the number of edges necessary to guarantee a graph is a zero-divisor graph. In addition, the removal or addition of vertices to a zero-divisor graph is investigated by using equivalence relations and quotient sets. We also prove necessary and sufficient conditions for determining when regular graphs and complete graphs with more than two triangles attached are zero-divisor graphs. Lastly, we classify several graph structures that satisfy all known necessary conditions but are not zero-divisor graphs.     

Sub-semigroups determined by the zero-divisor graph

In this paper we study sub-semigroups of a finite or an infinite zero-divisor semigroup S determined by properties of the zero-divisor graph Γ(S). We use these sub-semigroups to study the correspondence between zero-divisor semigroups and zero-divisor graphs. In particular, we discover a class of sub-semigroups of reduced semigroups and we study properties of sub-semigroups of finite or infinite semilattices with the least element. As an application, we provide a characterization of the graphs which are zero-divisor graphs of Boolean rings. We also study how local property of Γ(S) affects global property of the semigroup S, and we discover some interesting applications. In particular, we find that no finite or infinite two-star graph has a corresponding nil semigroup.     

Zero-Divisor Graphs for Group Rings

Let R be a commutative ring with 1 ≠ 0, G be a nontrivial finite group, and let Z(R) be the set of zero divisors of R. The zero-divisor graph of R is defined as the graph Γ(R) whose vertex set is Z(R)* = Z(R)?{0} and two distinct vertices a and b are adjacent if and only if ab = 0. In this paper, we investigate the interplay between the ring-theoretic properties of group rings RG and the graph-theoretic properties of Γ(RG). We characterize finite commutative group rings RG for which either diam(Γ(RG)) ≤2 or gr(Γ(RG)) ≥4. Also, we investigate the isomorphism problem for zero-divisor graphs of group rings. First, we show that the rank and the cardinality of a finite abelian p-group are determined by the zero-divisor graph of its modular group ring. With the notion of zero-divisor graphs extended to noncommutative rings, it is also shown that two finite semisimple group rings are isomorphic if and only if their zero-divisor graphs are isomorphic. Finally, we show that finite noncommutative reversible group rings are determined by their zero-divisor graphs.     

The Zero-Divisor Graphs Which Are Uniquely Determined By Neighborhoods

A nonempty simple connected graph G is called a uniquely determined graph, if distinct vertices of G have distinct neighborhoods. We prove that if R is a commutative ring, then Γ(R) is uniquely determined if and only if either R is a Boolean ring or T(R) is a local ring with x² = 0 for any x ∈ Z(R), where T(R) is the total quotient ring of R. We determine all the corresponding rings with characteristic p for any finite complete graph, and in particular, give all the corresponding rings of K_n if n + 1 = p^q for some primes p, q. Finally, we show that a graph G with more than two vertices has a unique corresponding zero-divisor semigroup if G is a zero-divisor graph of some Boolean ring.     

Cut Vertices and Degree One Vertices of Zero-Divisor Graphs

This article continues to examine cut vertices in the zero-divisor graphs of commutative rings with 1. The main result is that, with only seven known exceptions, the zero-divisor graph of a commutative ring has a cut vertex if and only if the graph has a degree one vertex. This naturally leads to an examination of the degree one vertices of zero-divisor graphs.     

Zero-Divisor Semigroups and Some Simple Graphs

In this article, we study commutative zero-divisor semigroups determined by graphs. We prove that for all n ≥ 4, the complete graph K _n together with two end vertices has a unique corresponding zero-divisor semigroup, while the complete graph K _n together with three end vertices has no corresponding semigroups. We determine all the twenty zero-divisor semigroups whose zero-divisor graphs are the complete graph K ₃ together with an end vertex.     

On Unicyclic Graphs with Uniquely Restricted Maximum Matchings

A graph is called unicyclic if it owns only one cycle. A matching M is called uniquely restricted in a graph G if it is the unique perfect matching of the subgraph induced by the vertices that M saturates. Clearly, μ _r (G) ≤ μ(G), where μ _r (G) denotes the size of a maximum uniquely restricted matching, while μ(G) equals the matching number of G. In this paper we study unicyclic bipartite graphs enjoying μ _r (G) = μ(G). In particular, we characterize unicyclic bipartite graphs having only uniquely restricted maximum matchings. Finally, we present some polynomial time algorithms recognizing unicyclic bipartite graphs with (only) uniquely restricted maximum matchings.     

Some Remarks on the Graph Γ I (R)

Let R be a commutative ring with nonzero identity and Z(R) its set of zero-divisors. The zero-divisor graph of R is Γ(R), with vertices Z(R)?{0} and distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if xy = 0. For a proper ideal I of R, the ideal-based zero-divisor graph of R is Γ _I (R), with vertices {x ∈ R?I | xy ∈ I for some y ∈ R?I} and distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if xy ∈ I. In this article, we study the relationship between the two graphs Γ(R) and Γ _I (R). We also determine when Γ _I (R) is either a complete graph or a complete bipartite graph and investigate when Γ _I (R) ? Γ(S) for some commutative ring S.     

Hamiltonicity in vertex envelopes of plane cubic graphs

In this paper we study a graph operation which produces what we call the “vertex envelope” G^∗_V from a graph G. We apply it to plane cubic graphs and investigate the hamiltonicity of the resulting graphs, which are also cubic. To this end, we prove a result giving a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of hamiltonian cycles in the vertex envelopes of plane cubic graphs. We then use these conditions to identify graphs or classes of graphs whose vertex envelopes are either all hamiltonian or all non-hamiltonian, paying special attention to bipartite graphs. We also show that deciding if a vertex envelope is hamiltonian is NP-complete, and we provide a polynomial algorithm for deciding if a given cubic plane graph is a vertex envelope.