Circular perfect graphs

For 1 ≤ d ≤ k, let K_k/d be the graph with vertices 0, 1, …, k ? 1, in which i ～j if d ≤ |i ? j| ≤ k ? d. The circular chromatic number χ_c(G) of a graph G is the minimum of those k/d for which G admits a homomorphism to K_k/d. The circular clique number ω_c(G) of G is the maximum of those k/d for which K_k/d admits a homomorphism to G. A graph G is circular perfect if for every induced subgraph H of G, we have χ_c(H) = ω_c(H). In this paper, we prove that if G is circular perfect then for every vertex x of G, N_G[x] is a perfect graph. Conversely, we prove that if for every vertex x of G, N_G[x] is a perfect graph and G ? N[x] is a bipartite graph with no induced P₅ (the path with five vertices), then G is a circular perfect graph. In a companion paper, we apply the main result of this paper to prove an analog of Haj?os theorem for circular chromatic number for k/d ≥ 3. Namely, we shall design a few graph operations and prove that for any k/d ≥ 3, starting from the graph K_k/d, one can construct all graphs of circular chromatic number at least k/d by repeatedly applying these graph operations. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 186–209, 2005     

List‐coloring the square of a subcubic graph

The square G² of a graph G is the graph with the same vertex set G and with two vertices adjacent if their distance in G is at most 2. Thomassen showed that every planar graph G with maximum degree Δ(G) = 3 satisfies χ(G²) ≤ 7. Kostochka and Woodall conjectured that for every graph, the list‐chromatic number of G² equals the chromatic number of G², that is, χ_l(G²) = χ(G²) for all G. If true, this conjecture (together with Thomassen's result) implies that every planar graph G with Δ(G) = 3 satisfies χ_l(G²) ≤ 7. We prove that every connected graph (not necessarily planar) with Δ(G) = 3 other than the Petersen graph satisfies χ_l(G²) ≤8 (and this is best possible). In addition, we show that if G is a planar graph with Δ(G) = 3 and girth g(G) ≥ 7, then χ_l(G²) ≤ 7. Dvo?ák, ?krekovski, and Tancer showed that if G is a planar graph with Δ(G) = 3 and girth g(G) ≥ 10, then χ_l(G²) ≤6. We improve the girth bound to show that if G is a planar graph with Δ(G) = 3 and g(G) ≥ 9, then χ_l(G²) ≤ 6. All of our proofs can be easily translated into linear‐time coloring algorithms. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 57: 65–87, 2008     

The circular chromatic number of series‐parallel graphs

In this article, we consider the circular chromatic number χ_c(G) of series‐parallel graphs G. It is well known that series‐parallel graphs have chromatic number at most 3. Hence, their circular chromatic numbers are at most 3. If a series‐parallel graph G contains a triangle, then both the chromatic number and the circular chromatic number of G are indeed equal to 3. We shall show that if a series‐parallel graph G has girth at least 2 ⌊(3k − 1)/2⌋, then χ_c(G) ≤ 4k/(2k − 1). The special case k = 2 of this result implies that a triangle free series‐parallel graph G has circular chromatic number at most 8/3. Therefore, the circular chromatic number of a series‐parallel graph (and of a K₄‐minor free graph) is either 3 or at most 8/3. This is in sharp contrast to recent results of Moser [5] and Zhu [14], which imply that the circular chromatic number of K₅‐minor free graphs are precisely all rational numbers in the interval [2, 4]. We shall also construct examples to demonstrate the sharpness of the bound given in this article. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33: 14–24, 2000     

The circular chromatic number of series‐parallel graphs with large girth

It was proved by Hell and Zhu that, if G is a series‐parallel graph of girth at least 2⌊(3k − 1)/2⌋, then χ_c(G) ≤ 4k/(2k − 1). In this article, we prove that the girth requirement is sharp, i.e., for any k ≥ 2, there is a series‐parallel graph G of girth 2⌊(3k − 1)/2⌋ − 1 such that χ_c(G) > 4k/(2k − 1). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33: 185–198, 2000     

Circular consecutive choosability of k‐choosable graphs

Let S(r) denote a circle of circumference r. The circular consecutive choosability ch_cc(G) of a graph G is the least real number t such that for any r≥χ_c(G), if each vertex v is assigned a closed interval L(v) of length t on S(r), then there is a circular r‐coloring f of G such that f(v)∈L(v). We investigate, for a graph, the relations between its circular consecutive choosability and choosability. It is proved that for any positive integer k, if a graph G is k‐choosable, then ch_cc(G)?k + 1 ? 1/k; moreover, the bound is sharp for k≥3. For k = 2, it is proved that if G is 2‐choosable then ch_cc(G)?2, while the equality holds if and only if G contains a cycle. In addition, we prove that there exist circular consecutive 2‐choosable graphs which are not 2‐choosable. In particular, it is shown that ch_cc(G) = 2 holds for all cycles and for K_{2, n} with n≥2. On the other hand, we prove that ch_cc(G)>2 holds for many generalized theta graphs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 67: 178‐197, 2011     

Improper choosability of graphs and maximum average degree

Improper choosability of planar graphs has been widely studied. In particular, ?krekovski investigated the smallest integer g_k such that every planar graph of girth at least g_k is k‐improper 2‐choosable. He proved [9] that 6 ≤ g₁ ≤ 9; 5 ≤ g₂ ≤ 7; 5 ≤ g₃ ≤ 6; and ? k ≥ 4, g_k = 5. In this article, we study the greatest real M(k, l) such that every graph of maximum average degree less than M(k, l) is k‐improper l‐choosable. We prove that if l ≥ 2 then . As a corollary, we deduce that g₁ ≤ 8 and g₂ ≤ 6, and we obtain new results for graphs of higher genus. We also provide an upper bound for M(k, l). This implies that for any fixed l, . © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 52: 181–199, 2006     

Circular choosability

We study circular choosability, a notion recently introduced by Mohar and Zhu. First, we provide a negative answer to a question of Zhu about circular cliques. We next prove that cch(G)=O(ch(G)+ln|V(G)|) for every graph G. We investigate a generalization of circular choosability, the circular f‐choosability, where f is a function of the degrees. We also consider the circular choice number of planar graphs. Mohar asked for the value of τ ? sup{cch(G) : G is planar}, and we prove that 6≤τ≤8, thereby providing a negative answer to another question of Mohar. We also study the circular choice number of planar and outerplanar graphs with prescribed girth, and graphs with bounded density. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 61: 241–270, 2009     

Inequalities for the first‐fit chromatic number

The First‐Fit (or Grundy) chromatic number of G, written as χ_FF(G), is defined as the maximum number of classes in an ordered partition of V(G) into independent sets so that each vertex has a neighbor in each set earlier than its own. The well‐known Nordhaus‐‐Gaddum inequality states that the sum of the ordinary chromatic numbers of an n‐vertex graph and its complement is at most n + 1. Zaker suggested finding the analogous inequality for the First‐Fit chromatic number. We show for n ≥ 10 that ?(5n + 2)/4? is an upper bound, and this is sharp. We extend the problem for multicolorings as well and prove asymptotic results for infinitely many cases. We also show that the smallest order of C₄‐free bipartite graphs with χ_FF(G) = k is asymptotically 2k² (the upper bound answers a problem of Zaker [9]). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 59: 75–88, 2008     

Edge‐face chromatic number and edge chromatic number of simple plane graphs

Given a simple plane graph G, an edge‐face k‐coloring of G is a function ? : E(G) ∪ F(G) → {1,…,k} such that, for any two adjacent or incident elements a, b ∈ E(G) ∪ F(G), ?(a) ≠ ?(b). Let χ_e(G), χ_ef(G), and Δ(G) denote the edge chromatic number, the edge‐face chromatic number, and the maximum degree of G, respectively. In this paper, we prove that χ_ef(G) = χ_e(G) = Δ(G) for any 2‐connected simple plane graph G with Δ (G) ≥ 24. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

A note on the bichromatic numbers of graphs

For a pair of integers k, l≥0, a graph G is (k, l)‐colorable if its vertices can be partitioned into at most k independent sets and at most l cliques. The bichromatic number χ^b(G) of G is the least integer r such that for all k, l with k+l=r, G is (k, l)‐colorable. The concept of bichromatic numbers simultaneously generalizes the chromatic number χ(G) and the clique covering number θ(G), and is important in studying the speed of hereditary properties and edit distances of graphs. It is easy to see that for every graph G the bichromatic number χ^b(G) is bounded above by χ(G)+θ(G)?1. In this article, we characterize all graphs G for which the upper bound is attained, i.e., χ^b(G)=χ(G)+θ(G)?1. It turns out that all these graphs are cographs and in fact they are the critical graphs with respect to the (k, l)‐colorability of cographs. More specifically, we show that a cograph H is not (k, l)‐colorable if and only if H contains an induced subgraph G with χ(G)=k+1, θ(G)=l+1 and χ^b(G)=k+l+1. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 263–269, 2010     

On the complexity of the circular chromatic number

Circular chromatic number, χ_c is a natural generalization of chromatic number. It is known that it is NP ‐hard to determine whether or not an arbitrary graph G satisfies χ(G)=χ_c(G). In this paper we prove that this problem is NP ‐hard even if the chromatic number of the graph is known. This answers a question of Xuding Zhu. Also we prove that for all positive integers k ≥ 2 and n ≥ 3, for a given graph G with χ(G) = n, it is NP ‐complete to verify if . © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 47: 226–230, 2004     

Strong chromatic index of subset graphs

The strong chromatic index of a graph G, denoted sq(G), is the minimum number of parts needed to partition the edges of G into induced matchings. For 0 ≤ k ≤ l ≤ m, the subset graph S_m(k, l) is a bipartite graph whose vertices are the k- and l-subsets of an m element ground set where two vertices are adjacent if and only if one subset is contained in the other. We show that and that this number satisfies the strong chromatic index conjecture by Brualdi and Quinn for bipartite graphs. Further, we demonstrate that the conjecture is also valid for a more general family of bipartite graphs. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Equitable coloring of random graphs

An equitable coloring of a graph is a proper vertex coloring such that the sizes of any two color classes differ by at most one. The least positive integer k for which there exists an equitable coloring of a graph G with k colors is said to be the equitable chromatic number of G and is denoted by χ₌(G). The least positive integer k such that for any k′ ≥ k there exists an equitable coloring of a graph G with k′ colors is said to be the equitable chromatic threshold of G and is denoted by χ₌*(G). In this paper, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of these coloring parameters in the probability space G(n,p) of random graphs. We prove that if n^?1/5+? < p < 0.99 for some 0 < ?, then almost surely χ(G(n,p)) ≤ χ₌(G(n,p)) = (1 + o(1))χ(G(n,p)) holds (where χ(G(n,p)) is the ordinary chromatic number of G(n,p)). We also show that there exists a constant C such that if C/n < p < 0.99, then almost surely χ(G(n,p)) ≤ χ₌(G(n,p)) ≤ (2 + o(1))χ(G(n,p)). Concerning the equitable chromatic threshold, we prove that if n^?(1??) < p < 0.99 for some 0 < ?, then almost surely χ(G(n,p)) ≤ χ₌* (G(n,p)) ≤ (2 + o(1))χ(G(n,p)) holds, and if < p < 0.99 for some 0 < ?, then almost surely we have χ(G(n,p)) ≤ χ₌*(G(n,p)) = O_?(χ(G(n,p))). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2009     

List circular coloring of trees and cycles

Suppose G=(V, E) is a graph and p ≥ 2q are positive integers. A (p, q)‐coloring of G is a mapping ?: V → {0, 1, …, p‐1} such that for any edge xy of G, q ≤ |?(x)‐?(y)| ≤ p‐q. A color‐list is a mapping L: V → ({0, 1, …, p‐1}) which assigns to each vertex v a set L(v) of permissible colors. An L‐(p, q)‐coloring of G is a (p, q)‐coloring ? of G such that for each vertex v, ?(v) ∈ L(v). We say G is L‐(p, q)‐colorable if there exists an L‐(p, q)‐coloring of G. A color‐size‐list is a mapping ? which assigns to each vertex v a non‐negative integer ?(v). We say G is ?‐(p, q)‐colorable if for every color‐list L with |L(v)| = ?(v), G is L‐(p, q)‐colorable. In this article, we consider list circular coloring of trees and cycles. For any tree T and for any p ≥ 2q, we present a necessary and sufficient condition for T to be ?‐(p, q)‐colorable. For each cycle C and for each positive integer k, we present a condition on ? which is sufficient for C to be ?‐(2k+1, k)‐colorable, and the condition is sharp. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 55: 249–265, 2007     

Circular flow numbers of regular multigraphs

The circular flow number F_c(G) of a graph G = (V, E) is the minimum r ϵ ℚ such that G admits a flow ϕ with 1 ≤ ϕ (e) ≤ r − 1, for each e ϵ E. We determine the circular flow number of some regular multigraphs. In particular, we characterize the bipartite (2t+1)‐regular graphs (t ≥ 1). Our results imply that there are gaps for possible circular flow numbers for (2t+1)‐regular graphs, e.g., there is no cubic graph G with 3 < F_c(G) < 4. We further show that there are snarks with circular flow number arbitrarily close to 4, answering a question of X. Zhu. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 36: 24–34, 2001     

Sharp bounds for the number of 3‐independent partitions and the chromaticity of bipartite graphs

Given a graph G and an integer k ≥ 1, let α(G, k) denote the number of k‐independent partitions of G. Let ??^?s(p,q) (resp., ??₂^?s(p,q)) denote the family of connected (resp., 2‐connected) graphs which are obtained from the complete bipartite graph K_p,q by deleting a set of s edges, where p ≥ q ≥ 2. This paper first gives a sharp upper bound for α(G,3), where G ∈ ?? ^?s(p,q) and 0 ≤ s ≤ (p ? 1)(q ? 1) (resp., G ∈ ?? ₂^?s(p,q) and 0 ≤ s ≤ p + q ? 4). These bounds are then used to show that if G ∈ ?? ^?s(p,q) (resp., G ∈ ?? ₂^?s (p,q)), then the chromatic equivalence class of G is a subset of the union of the sets ??^?s_i(p+i,q?i) where max and s_i = s ? i(p?q+i) (resp., a subset of ??₂^?s(p,q), where either 0 ≤ s ≤ q ? 1, or s ≤ 2q ? 3 and p ≥ q + 4). By applying these results, we show finally that any 2‐connected graph obtained from K_p,q by deleting a set of edges that forms a matching of size at most q ? 1 or that induces a star is chromatically unique. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 48–77, 2001     

The symmetric (2k,k)‐graphs

A noncomplete graph G is called an (n, k)‐graph if it is n‐connected and G − X is not (n − |X| + 1)‐connected for any X ⊆ V(G) with |X| ≤ k. Mader conjectured that for k ≥ 3 the graph K_{2k + 2} − (1‐factor) is the unique (2k, k)‐graph. We settle this conjecture for strongly regular graphs, for edge transitive graphs, and for vertex transitive graphs. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 36: 35–51, 2001     

Ordering Starlike Trees by the Totality of Their Spectral Moments

The k-th spectral moment M_k(G) of the adjacency matrix of a graph G represents the number of closed walks of length k in G. We study here the partial order ? of graphs, defined by G ? H if M_k(G) ≤ M_k(H) for all k ≥?0, and are interested in the question when is ? a linear order within a specified set of graphs? Our main result is that ? is a linear order on each set of starlike trees with constant number of vertices. Recall that a connected graph G is a starlike tree if it has a vertex u such that the components of G ? u are paths, called the branches of G. It turns out that the ? ordering of starlike trees with constant number of vertices coincides with the shortlex order of sorted sequence of their branch lengths.