The asymptotic number of claw-free cubic graphs

Let H_n be the number of claw-free cubic graphs on 2n labeled nodes. In an earlier paper we characterized claw-free cubic graphs and derived a recurrence relation for H_n. Here we determine the asymptotic behavior of this sequence:

     

On s-hamiltonian line graphs of claw-free graphs

For an integer $s\ge 0$, a graph $G$ is $s$-hamiltonian if for any vertex subset $S?V\left(G\right)$ with $\left|S\right|\le s$, $G?S$ is hamiltonian, and $G$ is $s$-hamiltonian connected if for any vertex subset $S?V\left(G\right)$ with $\left|S\right|\le s$, $G?S$ is hamiltonian connected. Thomassen in 1984 conjectured that every 4-connected line graph is hamiltonian (see Thomassen, 1986), and Ku?zel and Xiong in 2004 conjectured that every 4-connected line graph is hamiltonian connected (see Ryjá?ek and Vrána, 2011). In Broersma and Veldman (1987), Broersma and Veldman raised the characterization problem of $s$-hamiltonian line graphs. In Lai and Shao (2013), it is conjectured that for $s\ge 2$, a line graph $L\left(G\right)$ is $s$-hamiltonian if and only if $L\left(G\right)$ is $(s+2)$-connected. In this paper we prove the following.(i) For an integer $s\ge 2$, the line graph $L\left(G\right)$ of a claw-free graph $G$ is $s$-hamiltonian if and only if $L\left(G\right)$ is $(s+2)$-connected.(ii) The line graph $L\left(G\right)$ of a claw-free graph $G$ is 1-hamiltonian connected if and only if $L\left(G\right)$ is 4-connected.     

Partial characterizations of clique-perfect graphs I: Subclasses of claw-free graphs

A clique-transversal of a graph G is a subset of vertices that meets all the cliques of G. A clique-independent set is a collection of pairwise vertex-disjoint cliques. The clique-transversal number and clique-independence number of G are the sizes of a minimum clique-transversal and a maximum clique-independent set of G, respectively. A graph G is clique-perfect if these two numbers are equal for every induced subgraph of G. The list of minimal forbidden induced subgraphs for the class of clique-perfect graphs is not known. In this paper, we present a partial result in this direction; that is, we characterize clique-perfect graphs by a restricted list of forbidden induced subgraphs when the graph belongs to two different subclasses of claw-free graphs.     

Path extendability of claw-free graphs

Let G be a connected, locally connected, claw-free graph of order n and x,y be two vertices of G. In this paper, we prove that if for any 2-cut S of G, S∩{x,y}=∅, then each (x,y)-path of length less than n-1 in G is extendable, that is, for any path P joining x and y of length h(<n-1), there exists a path P^′ in G joining x and y such that V(P)⊂V(P^′) and |P^′|=h+1. This generalizes several related results known before.     

Domination versus total domination in claw-free cubic graphs

A set S of vertices in a graph G is a dominating set if every vertex not in S is adjacent to a vertex in S. If, in addition, every vertex in S is adjacent to some other vertex in S, then S is a total dominating set. The domination number $\gamma (G)$ of G is the minimum cardinality of a dominating set in G, while the total domination number ${\gamma }_t(G)$ of G is the minimum cardinality of total dominating set in G. A claw-free graph is a graph that does not contain $K_{1,3}$ as an induced subgraph. Let G be a connected, claw-free, cubic graph of order n. We show that if we exclude two graphs, then $\frac{{\gamma }_t(G)}{\gamma (G)}\le \frac{12}{7}$, and this bound is best possible. In order to prove this result, we prove that if we exclude four graphs, then ${\gamma }_t(G)\le \frac{3}{7}n$, and this bound is best possible. These bounds improve previously best known results due to Favaron and Henning (2008) [7], Southey and Henning (2010) [19].     

On the number of components in 2-factors of claw-free graphs

In this paper, we prove that if a claw-free graph G with minimum degree δ?4 has no maximal clique of two vertices, then G has a 2-factor with at most (|G|-1)/4 components. This upper bound is best possible. Additionally, we give a family of claw-free graphs with minimum degree δ?4 in which every 2-factor contains more than n/δ components.     

Further results on random cubic planar graphs

We provide precise asymptotic estimates for the number of several classes of labeled cubic planar graphs, and we analyze properties of such random graphs under the uniform distribution. This model was first analyzed by Bodirsky and coworkers. We revisit their work and obtain new results on the enumeration of cubic planar graphs and on random cubic planar graphs. In particular, we determine the exact probability of a random cubic planar graph being connected, and we show that the distribution of the number of triangles in random cubic planar graphs is asymptotically normal with linear expectation and variance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time one is able to determine the asymptotic distribution for the number of copies of a fixed graph containing a cycle in classes of random planar graphs arising from planar maps.     

Group connectivity in line graphs

Tutte introduced the theory of nowhere zero flows and showed that a plane graph G has a face k-coloring if and only if G has a nowhere zero A-flow, for any Abelian group A with |A|≥k. In 1992, Jaeger et al. [9] extended nowhere zero flows to group connectivity of graphs: given an orientation D of a graph G, if for any b:V(G)?A with ∑_v∈V(G)b(v)=0, there always exists a map f:E(G)?A−{0}, such that at each v∈V(G), in A, then G is A-connected. Let Z₃ denote the cyclic group of order 3. In [9], Jaeger et al. (1992) conjectured that every 5-edge-connected graph is Z₃-connected. In this paper, we proved the following.

• (i) 

  Every 5-edge-connected graph is Z3-connected if and only if every 5-edge-connected line graph is Z3-connected.

• (ii) 

  Every 6-edge-connected triangular line graph is Z3-connected.

• (iii) 

  Every 7-edge-connected triangular claw-free graph is Z3-connected.

In particular, every 6-edge-connected triangular line graph and every 7-edge-connected triangular claw-free graph have a nowhere zero 3-flow.     

An approximation result for the interval coloring problem on claw-free chordal graphs

We study the problem of finding an acyclic orientation of an undirected graph, such that each (oriented) path is covered by a limited number k of maximal cliques. This is equivalent to finding a k-approximate solution for the interval coloring problem on a graph. We focus our attention on claw-free chordal graphs, and show how to find an orientation of such a graph in linear time, which guarantees that each path is covered by at most two maximal cliques. This extends previous published results on other graph classes where stronger assumptions were made.     

Small maximal matchings of random cubic graphs

We consider the expected size of a smallest maximal matching of cubic graphs. Firstly, we present a randomized greedy algorithm for finding a small maximal matching of cubic graphs. We analyze the average‐case performance of this heuristic on random n‐vertex cubic graphs using differential equations. In this way, we prove that the expected size of the maximal matching returned by the algorithm is asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.) less than 0.34623n. We also give an existence proof which shows that the size of a smallest maximal matching of a random n‐vertex cubic graph is a.a.s. less than 0.3214n. It is known that the size of a smallest maximal matching of a random n‐vertex cubic graph is a.a.s. larger than 0.3158n. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 62: 293–323, 2009     

Bounded-excess flows in cubic graphs

An (r, α)-bounded-excess flow ((r, α)-flow) in an orientation of a graph G = (V, E) is an assignment f : E → [1, r−1], such that for every vertex x ∈ V, $|{\sum }_{e\in E^{+}\left(x\right)}f\left(e\right)-{\sum }_{e\in E^{-}\left(x\right)}f\left(e\right)|\le \alpha$. E⁺(x), respectively E⁻(x), is the set of edges directed from, respectively toward x. Bounded-excess flows suggest a generalization of Circular nowhere-zero flows (cnzf), which can be regarded as (r, 0)-flows. We define (r, α) as Stronger or equivalent to (s, β), if the existence of an (r, α)-flow in a cubic graph always implies the existence of an (s, β)-flow in the same graph. We then study the structure of the bounded-excess flow strength poset. Among other results, we define the Trace of a point in the r − α plane by $tr\left(r,\alpha \right)=\frac{r-2\alpha }{1-\alpha }$ and prove that among points with the same trace the stronger is the one with the smaller α (and larger r). For example, if a cubic graph admits a k-nzf (trace k with α = 0), then it admits an $(r,\frac{k-r}{k-2})$-flow for every r, 2 ≤ r ≤ k. A significant part of the article is devoted to proving the main result: Every cubic graph admits a $(3\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})$-flow, and there exists a graph which does not admit any stronger bounded-excess flow. Notice that $tr(3\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})=5$ so it can be considered a step in the direction of the 5-flow Conjecture. Our result is the best possible for all cubic graphs while the seemingly stronger 5-flow Conjecture relates only to bridgeless graphs. We also show that if the circular-flow number of a cubic graph is strictly less than 5, then it admits a $(3\frac{1}{3},\frac{1}{3})$-flow (trace 4). We conjecture such a flow to exist in every cubic graph with a perfect matching, other than the Petersen graph. This conjecture is a stronger version of the Ban-Linial Conjecture [1]. Our work here strongly relies on the notion of Orientable k-weak bisections, a certain type of k-weak bisections. k-Weak bisections are defined and studied by L. Esperet, G. Mazzuoccolo, and M. Tarsi [4].     

Circuit double covers in special types of cubic graphs

Suppose that a 2-connected cubic graph G of order n has a circuit C of length at least n−4 such that G−V(C) is connected. We show that G has a circuit double cover containing a prescribed set of circuits which satisfy certain conditions. It follows that hypohamiltonian cubic graphs (i.e., non-hamiltonian cubic graphs G such that G−v is hamiltonian for every v∈V(G)) have strong circuit double covers.     

Optimal acyclic edge‐coloring of cubic graphs

An acyclic edge‐coloring of a graph is a proper edge‐coloring such that the subgraph induced by the edges of any two colors is acyclic. The acyclic chromatic index of a graph G is the smallest number of colors in an acyclic edge‐coloring of G. We prove that the acyclic chromatic index of a connected cubic graph G is 4, unless G is K₄ or K_3,3; the acyclic chromatic index of K₄ and K_3,3 is 5. This result has previously been published by Fiam?ík, but his published proof was erroneous.