Forbidden minors to graphs with small feedback sets

Finite obstruction set characterizations for lower ideals in the minor order are guaranteed to exist by the graph minor theorem. In this paper we characterize several families of graphs with small feedback sets, namely k₁-F V S , k₂-F E S and (k₁,k₂)-F V /E S , for small integer parameters k₁ and k₂. Our constructive methods can compute obstruction sets for any minor-closed family of graphs, provided the pathwidth (or treewidth) of the largest obstruction is known.     

Eulerian subgraphs containing given edges

For an integer l0, define to be the family of graphs such that if and only if for any edge subset XE(G) with |X|l, G has a spanning eulerian subgraph H with XE(H). The graphs in are known as supereulerian graphs. Let f(l) be the minimum value of k such that every k-edge-connected graph is in . Jaeger and Catlin independently proved f(0)=4. We shall determine f(l) for all values of l0. Another problem concerning the existence of eulerian subgraphs containing given edges is also discussed, and former results in [J. Graph Theory 1 (1977) 79–84] and [J. Graph Theory 3 (1979) 91–93] are extended.     

Matching extension and minimum degree

Let G be a simple connected graph on 2n vertices with a perfect matching. For a given positive integer k, 1 k n − 1, G is k-extendable if for every matching M of size k in G, there exists a perfect matching in G containing all the edges of M. The problem that arises is that of characterizing k-extendable graphs. In this paper, we establish a necessary condition, in terms of minimum degree, for k-extendable graphs. Further, we determine the set of realizable values for minimum degree of k-extendable graphs. In addition, we establish some results on bipartite graphs including a sufficient condition for a bipartite graph to be k-extendable.     

On the spanning tree packing number of a graph: a survey

The spanning tree packing number or STP number of a graph G is the maximum number of edge-disjoint spanning trees contained in G. We use an observation of Paul Catlin to investigate the STP numbers of several families of graphs including quasi-random graphs, regular graphs, complete bipartite graphs, cartesian products and the hypercubes.     

Optimally super-edge-connected transitive graphs

Let X=(V,E) be a connected regular graph. X is said to be super-edge-connected if every minimum edge cut of X is a set of edges incident with some vertex. The restricted edge connectivity λ′(X) of X is the minimum number of edges whose removal disconnects X into non-trivial components. A super-edge-connected k-regular graph is said to be optimally super-edge-connected if its restricted edge connectivity attains the maximum 2k−2. In this paper, we define the λ′-atoms of graphs with respect to restricted edge connectivity and show that if X is a k-regular k-edge-connected graph whose λ′-atoms have size at least 3, then any two distinct λ′-atoms are disjoint. Using this property, we characterize the super-edge-connected or optimally super-edge-connected transitive graphs and Cayley graphs. In particular, we classify the optimally super-edge-connected quasiminimal Cayley graphs and Cayley graphs of diameter 2. As a consequence, we show that almost all Cayley graphs are optimally super-edge-connected.     

Uniqueness of maximum planar five-distance sets

A subset X in the Euclidean plane is called a k-distance set if there are exactly k distances between two distinct points in X. We denote the largest possible cardinality of k-distance sets by g(k). Erdős and Fishburn proved that g(5)=12 and also conjectured that 12-point five-distance sets are unique up to similar transformations. We classify 8-point four-distance sets and prove the uniqueness of the 12-point five-distance sets given in their paper. We also introduce diameter graphs of planar sets and characterize these graphs.     

Chordal bipartite, strongly chordal, and strongly chordal bipartite graphs

Robert E. Jamison characterized chordal graphs by the edge set of every k-cycle being the symmetric difference of k−2 triangles. Strongly chordal (and chordal bipartite) graphs can be similarly characterized in terms of the distribution of triangles (respectively, quadrilaterals). These results motivate a definition of ‘strongly chordal bipartite graphs’, forming a class intermediate between bipartite interval graphs and chordal bipartite graphs.     

Pancyclicity mod k of claw-free graphs and K1,4-free graphs

For any natural number k, a graph G is said to be pancyclic mod k if it contains a cycle of every length modulo k. In this paper, we show that every K_1,4-free graph G with minimum degree δ(G)k+3 is pancyclic mod k and every claw-free graph G with δ(G)k+1 is pancyclic mod k, which confirms Thomassen's conjecture (J. Graph Theory 7 (1983) 261–271) for claw-free graphs.     

The reduction of graph families closed under contraction

Let be a family of graphs. Suppose there is a nontrivial graph H such that for any supergraph G of H, G is in if and only if the contraction G/H is in . Examples of such an : graphs with a spanning closed trail; graphs with at least k edge-disjoint spanning trees; and k-edge-connected graphs (k fixed). We give a reduction method using contractions to find when a given graph is in and to study its structure if it is not in . This reduction method generalizes known special cases.     

Networks with small stretch number

In a previous work, the authors introduced the class of graphs with bounded induced distance of order k (BID(k) for short), to model non-reliable interconnection networks. A network modeled as a graph in BID(k) can be characterized as follows: if some nodes have failed, as long as two nodes remain connected, the distance between these nodes in the faulty graph is at most k times the distance in the non-faulty graph. The smallest k such that GBID(k) is called stretch number of G. We show an odd characteristic of the stretch numbers: every rational number greater or equal 2 is a stretch number, but only discrete values are admissible for smaller stretch numbers. Moreover, we give a new characterization of classes BID(2−1/i), i1, based on forbidden induced subgraphs. By using this characterization, we provide a polynomial time recognition algorithm for graphs belonging to these classes, while the general recognition problem is Co-NP-complete.     

The k-ball l-path branch weight centroid

If x is a vertex of a tree T of radius r, if k and l are integers, if 0 k r, 0 l r, and if P is an l-path with one end at x, then define β(x; k, P) to be the number of vertices of T that are reachable from x via the l-path P and that are outside of the k-ball about x. That is, β(x;k,P) = {yεV(T):y is reachable from x via P,d(x,y) > k}. Define the k-ball l-path branch weight of x, denoted β(x;k,l), to be max {β(x;k,P):P an l-path with one end at x}, and define the k-balll-path branch weight centroid of T, denoted B(T;k,l), to be the set xεV(T): β(x;k,l) β(y;k,l), yεV(T). This two-parameter family of central sets in T includes the one-parameter family of central sets called the k-nuclei introduced by Slater (1981) which has been shown to be the one parameter family of central sets called the k-branch weight centroids by Zaw Win (1993). It also includes the one-parameter family of central sets called the k-ball branch weight centroid introduced by Reid (1991). In particular, this new family contains the classical central sets, the center and the median (which Zelinka (1968) showed is the ordinary branch weight centroid). The sets obtained for particular values of k and l are examined, and it is shown that for many values they consist of one vertex or two adjacent vertices.     

Number of minimum vertex cuts in transitive graphs

Let G be a k-regular vertex transitive graph with connectivity κ(G)=k and let m_k(G) be the number of vertex cuts with k vertices. Define m(n,k)=min{m_k(G): GT_n,k}, where T_n,k denotes the set of all k-regular vertex transitive graphs on n vertices with κ(G)=k. In this paper, we determine the exact values of m(n,k).     

On component-size bounded Steiner trees

A Steiner tree is a tree interconnecting a given set of points in a metric space such that all leaves are given points. A (full) component of a Steiner tree is a subtree which results from splitting the Steiner tree at some given points. A k-size Steiner tree is a Steiner tree in which every component has at most k given points. The k-Steiner ratio is the largest lower bound for the ratio between lengths of a minimum Steiner tree and a minimum k-size Steiner tree for the same set of points. In this paper, we determine the 3-Steiner ratio in weighted graphs.     

A Helly-type theorem for higher-dimensional transversals

We prove that a collection of compact convex sets of bounded diameters in that is unbounded in k independent directions has a k-flat transversal for k<d if and only if every d+1 of the sets have a k-transversal. This result generalizes a theorem of Hadwiger(–Danzer–Grünbaum–Klee) on line transversals for an unbounded family of compact convex sets. It is the first Helly-type theorem known for transversals of dimension between 1 and d−1.     

Acyclic coloring of graphs without bichromatic long path

Let G be a graph of maximum degree Δ. A proper vertex coloring of G is acyclic if there is no bichromatic cycle. It was proved by Alon et al. [Acyclic coloring of graphs. Random Structures Algorithms, 1991, 2(3): 277−288] that G admits an acyclic coloring with O(Δ^4/3) colors and a proper coloring with O(Δ^{(k−1)/(k−2)}) colors such that no path with k vertices is bichromatic for a fixed integer k≥5. In this paper, we combine above two colorings and show that if k≥5 and G does not contain cycles of length 4, then G admits an acyclic coloring with O(Δ^{(k−1)/(k−2)}) colors such that no path with k vertices is bichromatic.     

Vertex pancyclic graphs

Let G be a graph of order n. A graph G is called pancyclic if it contains a cycle of length k for every 3kn, and it is called vertex pancyclic if every vertex is contained in a cycle of length k for every 3kn. In this paper, we shall present different sufficient conditions for graphs to be vertex pancyclic.     

Precoloring extension. I. Interval graphs

This paper is the first article in a series devoted to the study of the following general problem on vertex colorings of graphs. Suppose that some vertices of a graph G are assigned to some colors. Can this ‘precoloring’ be extended to a proper coloring of G with at most k colors (for some given k)? This question was motivated by practical problems in scheduling and VLSI theory. Here we investigate its complexity status for interval graphs and for graphs with a bounded treewidth.     

Primitive graphs with given exponents and minimum number of edges

A graph G = (V, E) on n vertices is primitive if there is a positive integer k such that for each pair of vertices u, v of G, there is a walk of length k from u to v. The minimum value of such an integer, k, is the exponent, exp(G), of G. In this paper, we find the minimum number, h(n, k), of edges of a simple graph G on n vertices with exponent k, and we characterize all graphs which have h(n, k) edges when k is 3 or even.     

Combinatorial aspects of geometric graphs

As a special case of our main result, we show that for all L> 0, each k-nearest neighbor graph in d dimensions excludes K_h as a depth L minor if h = Ω(L^d). More generally, we prove that the overlap graphs defined by Miller, Teng, Thurston and Vavasis (1993) have this combinatorial property. By a construction of Plotkin, Rao and Smith (1994), our result implies that overlap graphs have “good” cut-covers, answering an open question of Kaklamanis, Krizanc and Rao (1993). Consequently, overlap graphs can be emulated on hypercube graphs with a constant factor of slow-down and on butterfly graphs with a factor of O(log^* n) slow-down. Therefore, computations on overlap graphs, such as finite element and finite difference methods on “well-conditioned” meshes and image processing on k-nearest neighbor graphs, can be performed on hypercubic parallel machines with a linear speed-up. Our result, in conjunction with a result of Plotkin, Rao and Smith, also yields a combinatorial proof that overlap graphs have separators of sublinear size. We also show that with high probability, the Delaunay diagram, the relative neighborhood graph, and the k-nearest neighbor graph of a random point set exclude K_h as a depth L minor if h = Ω(L^d/2 log n).     

Measurements of edge-uncolorability

Cubic bridgeless graphs with chromatic index four are called uncolorable. We introduce parameters measuring the uncolorability of those graphs and relate them to each other. For k=2,3, let c_k be the maximum size of a k-colorable subgraph of a cubic graph G=(V,E). We consider r₃=|E|−c₃ and . We show that on one side r₃ and r₂ bound each other, but on the other side that the difference between them can be arbitrarily large. We also compare them to the oddness ω of G, the smallest possible number of odd circuits in a 2-factor of G. We construct cyclically 5-edge connected cubic graphs where r₃ and ω are arbitrarily far apart, and show that for each 1c<2 there is a cubic graph such that ωcr₃. For k=2,3, let ζ_k denote the largest fraction of edges that can be k-colored. We give best possible bounds for these parameters, and relate them to each other.