Acyclic Edge Coloring of Triangle‐Free Planar Graphs

An acyclic edge coloring of a graph is a proper edge coloring such that there are no bichromatic cycles. The acyclic chromatic index of a graph is the minimum number k such that there is an acyclic edge coloring using k colors and is denoted by a′(G). It was conjectured by Alon, Sudakov and Zaks (and much earlier by Fiamcik) that a′(G) ? Δ + 2, where Δ = Δ(G) denotes the maximum degree of the graph. If every induced subgraph H of G satisfies the condition |E(H)| ? 2|V(H)|?1, we say that the graph G satisfies Property A. In this article, we prove that if G satisfies Property A, then a′(G) ? Δ + 3. Triangle‐free planar graphs satisfy Property A. We infer that a′(G) ? Δ + 3, if G is a triangle‐free planar graph. Another class of graph which satisfies Property A is 2‐fold graphs (union of two forests). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Integral distance graphs

Suppose D is a subset of all positive integers. The distance graph G(Z, D) with distance set D is the graph with vertex set Z, and two vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if |x − y| ≡ D. This paper studies the chromatic number χ(Z, D) of G(Z, D). In particular, we prove that χ(Z, D) ≤ |D| + 1 when |D| is finite. Exact values of χ(G, D) are also determined for some D with |D| = 3. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 25: 287–294, 1997     

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     

On chromatic‐choosable graphs

A graph is chromatic‐choosable if its choice number coincides with its chromatic number. It is shown in this article that, for any graph G, if we join a sufficiently large complete graph to G, then we obtain a chromatic‐choosable graph. As a consequence, if the chromatic number of a graph G is close enough to the number of vertices in G, then G is chromatic‐choosable. We also propose a conjecture related to this fact. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 40: 130–135, 2002     

New upper bounds on linear coloring of planar graphs

A proper vertex coloring of a graph G is linear if the graph induced by the vertices of any two color classes is the union of vertex-disjoint paths. The linear chromatic number lc(G) of the graph G is the smallest number of colors in a linear coloring of G. In this paper, it is proved that every planar graph G with girth g and maximum degree Δ has(1)lc(G) ≤Δ 21 if Δ≥ 9; (2)lc(G) ≤「Δ/2」 + 7 ifg ≥ 5; (3) lc(G) ≤「Δ/2」 + 2 ifg ≥ 7 and Δ≥ 7.     

Vizing's coloring algorithm and the fan number

Most upper bounds for the chromatic index of a graph come from algorithms that produce edge colorings. One such algorithm was invented by Vizing [Diskret Analiz 3 (1964), 25–30] in 1964. Vizing's algorithm colors the edges of a graph one at a time and never uses more than Δ+µ colors, where Δ is the maximum degree and µ is the maximum multiplicity, respectively. In general, though, this upper bound of Δ+µ is rather generous. In this paper, we define a new parameter fan(G) in terms of the degrees and the multiplicities of G. We call fan(G) the fan number of G. First we show that the fan number can be computed by a polynomial‐time algorithm. Then we prove that the parameter Fan(G)=max{Δ(G), fan(G)} is an upper bound for the chromatic index that can be realized by Vizing's coloring algorithm. Many of the known upper bounds for the chromatic index are also upper bounds for the fan number. Furthermore, we discuss the following question. What is the best (efficiently realizable) upper bound for the chromatic index in terms of Δ and µ ? Goldberg's Conjecture supports the conjecture that χ′+1 is the best efficiently realizable upper bound for χ′ at all provided that P ≠ NP . © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 115–138, 2010     

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     

A note on list edge and list total coloring of planar graphs without adjacent short cycles

LetGbe a planar graph with maximum degreeΔ.In this paper,we prove that if any4-cycle is not adjacent to ani-cycle for anyi∈{3,4}in G,then the list edge chromatic numberχl(G)=Δand the list total chromatic numberχl(G)=Δ+1.     

Acyclic edge colorings of graphs

A proper coloring of the edges of a graph G is called acyclic if there is no 2‐colored cycle in G. The acyclic edge chromatic number of G, denoted by a′(G), is the least number of colors in an acyclic edge coloring of G. For certain graphs G, a′(G) ≥ Δ(G) + 2 where Δ(G) is the maximum degree in G. It is known that a′(G) ≤ 16 Δ(G) for any graph G. We prove that there exists a constant c such that a′(G) ≤ Δ(G) + 2 for any graph G whose girth is at least cΔ(G) log Δ(G), and conjecture that this upper bound for a′(G) holds for all graphs G. We also show that a′(G) ≤ Δ + 2 for almost all Δ‐regular graphs. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 157–167, 2001     

Subgraph‐avoiding coloring of graphs

Given a “forbidden graph” F and an integer k, an F‐avoiding k‐coloring of a graph G is a k‐coloring of the vertices of G such that no maximal F‐free subgraph of G is monochromatic. The F‐avoiding chromatic number ac_F(G) is the smallest integer k such that G is F‐avoiding k‐colorable. In this paper, we will give a complete answer to the following question: for which graph F, does there exist a constant C, depending only on F, such that ac_F(G) ? C for any graph G? For those graphs F with unbounded avoiding chromatic number, upper bounds for ac_F(G) in terms of various invariants of G are also given. Particularly, we prove that ${{ac}}_{{{F}}}({{G}})\le {{2}}\lceil\sqrt{{{n}}}\rceil+{{1}}Given a “forbidden graph” F and an integer k, an F‐avoiding k‐coloring of a graph G is a k‐coloring of the vertices of G such that no maximal F‐free subgraph of G is monochromatic. The F‐avoiding chromatic number ac_F(G) is the smallest integer k such that G is F‐avoiding k‐colorable. In this paper, we will give a complete answer to the following question: for which graph F, does there exist a constant C, depending only on F, such that ac_F(G) ? C for any graph G? For those graphs F with unbounded avoiding chromatic number, upper bounds for ac_F(G) in terms of various invariants of G are also given. Particularly, we prove that ${{ac}}_{{{F}}}({{G}})\le {{2}}\lceil\sqrt{{{n}}}\rceil+{{1}}$, where n is the order of G and F is not K_k or $\overline{{{K}}_{{{k}}}}$. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 63: 300–310, 2010     

An extension of Vizing's theorem

Let G = (V (G), E (G)) be a simple graph of maximum degree δ ≤ D such that the graph induced by vertices of degree D is either a null graph or is empty. We give an upper bound on the number of colours needed to colour a subset S of V (G) ∪ E (G) such that no adjacent or incident elements of S receive the same colour. In particular, if S = E (G), we have the chromatic index χ′(G) ≤ D whereas if S = V (G) ∪ E (G) and for some positive integer k, we have the total chromatic number _χT(G) ≤ D + k. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Iterating the branching operation on a directed graph

The branching operation D, defined by Propp, assigns to any directed graph G another directed graph D(G) whose vertices are the oriented rooted spanning trees of the original graph G. We characterize the directed graphs G for which the sequence δ(G) = (G, D(G), D²(G),…) converges, meaning that it is eventually constant. As a corollary of the proof we get the following conjecture of Propp: for strongly connected directed graphs G, δ(G) converges if and only if D²(G) = D(G). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Acyclic vertex coloring of graphs of maximum degree 5

An acyclic vertex coloring of a graph is a proper vertex coloring such that there are no bichromatic cycles. The acyclic chromatic number of G, denoted a(G), is the minimum number of colors required for acyclic vertex coloring of graph G. For a family F of graphs, the acyclic chromatic number of F, denoted by a(F), is defined as the maximum a(G) over all the graphs G∈F. In this paper we show that a(F)=8 where F is the family of graphs of maximum degree 5 and give a linear time algorithm to achieve this bound.     

On unavoidable digraphs in orientations of graphs

Let G be a graph, and let D be a directed graph. Write G → D to mean that, no matter how the edges of G are given orientations, a copy of D must appear as a subgraph of the resulting oriented graph. It is proved that among all G for which G → D, the minimum chromatic number is equal to the minimum k for which K_k → hom(D), where hom(D) is the set of homomorphs of D. Next, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a directed graph to have a homomorphism into a given transitive tournament, directed path, or directed cycle. These results are then applied to various cases of the above theorem. In particular, the minimum chromatic number is evaluated whenever D is an oriented forest, and all D are characterized for which the minimum chromatic number is no more than three.     

The connectivity of large digraphs and graphs

This paper studies the relation between the connectivity and other parameters of a digraph (or graph), namely its order n, minimum degree δ, maximum degree Δ, diameter D, and a new parameter l_pi;, 0 ≤ π ≤ δ ? 2, related with the number of short paths (in the case of graphs l₀ = ?(g ? 1)/2? where g stands for the girth). For instance, let G = (V,A) be a digraph on n vertices with maximum degree Δ and diameter D, so that n ≤ n(Δ, D) = 1 + Δ + Δ ² + … + Δ^D (Moore bound). As the main results it is shown that, if κ and λ denote respectively the connectivity and arc-connectivity of G, . Analogous results hold for graphs. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Partitioning infinite trees

A graph G is bisectable if its edges can be colored by two colors so that the resulting monochromatic subgraphs are isomorphic. We show that any infinite tree of maximum degree Δ with infinitely many vertices of degree at least Δ −1 is bisectable as is any infinite tree of maximum degree Δ ≤ 4. Further, it is proved that every infinite tree T of finite maximum degree contains a finite subset E of its edges so that the graph T − E is bisectable. To measure how “far” a graph G is from being bisectable, we define c(G) to be the smallest number k > 1 so that there is a coloring of the edges of G by k colors with the property that any two monochromatic subgraphs are isomorphic. An upper bound on c(G), which is in a sense best possible, is presented. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 34: 113–127, 2000     

Improved upper bounds on acyclic edge colorings

An acyclic edge coloring of a graph is a proper edge coloring such that every cycle contains edges of at least three distinct colors.The acyclic chromatic index of a graph G,denoted by a′(G),is the minimum number k such that there is an acyclic edge coloring using k colors.It is known that a′(G)≤16△for every graph G where △denotes the maximum degree of G.We prove that a′(G)13.8△for an arbitrary graph G.We also reduce the upper bounds of a′(G)to 9.8△and 9△with girth 5 and 7,respectively.     

Connected graphs with maximal Q-index: The one-dominating-vertex case

By the signless Laplacian of a (simple) graph G we mean the matrix Q(G)=D(G)+A(G), where A(G),D(G) denote respectively the adjacency matrix and the diagonal matrix of vertex degrees of G. For every pair of positive integers n,k, it is proved that if 3?k?n-3, then H_n,k, the graph obtained from the star K_1,n-1 by joining a vertex of degree 1 to k+1 other vertices of degree 1, is the unique connected graph that maximizes the largest signless Laplacian eigenvalue over all connected graphs with n vertices and n+k edges.     

Acyclic edge coloring of graphs with maximum degree 4

An acyclic edge coloring of a graph is a proper edge coloring such that there are no bichromatic cycles. The acyclic chromatic index of a graph is the minimum number k such that there is an acyclic edge coloring using k colors and is denoted by a′(G). It was conjectured by Alon, Sudakov, and Zaks that for any simple and finite graph G, a′(G)?Δ + 2, where Δ=Δ(G) denotes the maximum degree of G. We prove the conjecture for connected graphs with Δ(G)?4, with the additional restriction that m?2n?1, where n is the number of vertices and m is the number of edges in G. Note that for any graph G, m?2n, when Δ(G)?4. It follows that for any graph G if Δ(G)?4, then a′(G)?7. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 61: 192–209, 2009     

On two generalizations of the Alon–Tarsi polynomial method

In a seminal paper (Alon and Tarsi, 1992 [6]), Alon and Tarsi have introduced an algebraic technique for proving upper bounds on the choice number of graphs (and thus, in particular, upper bounds on their chromatic number). The upper bound on the choice number of G obtained via their method, was later coined the Alon–Tarsi number of G and was denoted by AT(G) (see e.g. Jensen and Toft (1995) [20]). They have provided a combinatorial interpretation of this parameter in terms of the eulerian subdigraphs of an appropriate orientation of G. Their characterization can be restated as follows. Let D be an orientation of G. Assign a weight ωD(H) to every subdigraph H of D: if H⊆D is eulerian, then ωD(H)=(−1)^e(H), otherwise ωD(H)=0. Alon and Tarsi proved that AT(G)?k if and only if there exists an orientation D of G in which the out-degree of every vertex is strictly less than k, and moreover _∑H⊆DωD(H)≠0. Shortly afterwards (Alon, 1993 [3]), for the special case of line graphs of d-regular d-edge-colorable graphs, Alon gave another interpretation of AT(G), this time in terms of the signed d-colorings of the line graph. In this paper we generalize both results. The first characterization is generalized by showing that there is an infinite family of weight functions (which includes the one considered by Alon and Tarsi), each of which can be used to characterize AT(G). The second characterization is generalized to all graphs (in fact the result is even more general—in particular it applies to hypergraphs). We then use the second generalization to prove that χ(G)=ch(G)=AT(G) holds for certain families of graphs G. Some of these results generalize certain known choosability results.