On a k-Tree Containing Specified Leaves in a Graph

A k-tree of a graph is a spanning tree with maximum degree at most k. We give sufficient conditions for a graph G to have a k-tree with specified leaves: Let k,s, and n be integers such that k≥2, 0≤s≤k, and n≥s+1. Suppose that (1) G is (s+1)-connected and the degree sum of any k independent vertices of G is at least |G|+(k−1)s−1, or (2) G is n-connected and the independence number of G is at most (n−s)(k−1)+1. Then for any s specified vertices of G, G has a k-tree containing them as leaves. We also discuss the sharpness of the results. This research was partially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Scientists, 15740077, 2005 This research was partially supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists.