An algorithm for finding hamilton paths and cycles in random graphs

This paper describes a polynomial time algorithm HAM that searches for Hamilton cycles in undirected graphs. On a random graph its asymptotic probability of success is that of the existence of such a cycle. If all graphs withn vertices are considered equally likely, then using dynamic programming on failure leads to an algorithm with polynomial expected time. The algorithm HAM is also used to solve the symmetric bottleneck travelling salesman problem with probability tending to 1, asn tends to ∞. Various modifications of HAM are shown to solve several Hamilton path problems. Supported by NSF Grant MCS 810 4854.     

The maximum number of Hamiltonian paths in tournaments

Solving an old conjecture of Szele we show that the maximum number of directed Hamiltonian paths in a tournament onn vertices is at mostc · n ^3/2 · n!/2 ^n–1, wherec is a positive constant independent ofn.Research supported in part by a U.S.A.-Israel BSF grant and by a Bergmann Memorial Grant.     

Subpancyclicity of line graphs and degree sums along paths

A graph is called subpancyclic if it contains a cycle of length ? for each ? between 3 and the circumference of the graph. We show that if G is a connected graph on n?146 vertices such that d(u)+d(v)+d(x)+d(y)>(n+10/2) for all four vertices u,v,x,y of any path P=uvxy in G, then the line graph L(G) is subpancyclic, unless G is isomorphic to an exceptional graph. Moreover, we show that this result is best possible, even under the assumption that L(G) is hamiltonian. This improves earlier sufficient conditions by a multiplicative factor rather than an additive constant.     

Node packings on cocomparability graphs

We give a compact formulation for the clique inequalities defining the fractional node packing polytope on cocomparability graphs.     

Pairs of edge disjoint Hamiltonian circuits in 5-connected planar graphs

Summary A variety of examples of 4-connected 4-regular graphs with no pair of disjoint Hamiltonian circuits were constructed in response to Nash-Williams conjecture that every 4-connected 4-regular graph is Hamiltonian and also admits a pair of edge-disjoint Hamiltonian circuits. Nash-Williams's problem is especially interesting for planar graphs since 4-connected planar graphs are Hamiltonian. Examples of 4-connected 4-regular planar graphs in which every pair of Hamiltonian circuits have edges in common are included in the above mentioned examples.B. Grünbaum asked whether 5-connected planar graphs always admit a pair of disjoint Hamiltonian circuits. In this paper we introduce a technique that enables us to construct infinitely many examples of 5-connected planar graphs, 5-regular and non regular, in which every pair of Hamiltonian circuits have edges in common.     

More orthogonal double covers of complete graphs by Hamiltonian paths

An orthogonal double cover (ODC) of the complete graph K_n by a graph G is a collection G of n spanning subgraphs of K_n, all isomorphic to G, such that any two members of G share exactly one edge and every edge of K_n is contained in exactly two members of G. In the 1980s Hering posed the problem to decide the existence of an ODC for the case that G is an almost-Hamiltonian cycle, i.e. a cycle of length n-1. It is known that the existence of an ODC of K_n by a Hamiltonian path implies the existence of ODCs of K_4n and of K_16n, respectively, by almost-Hamiltonian cycles. Horton and Nonay introduced two-colorable ODCs and showed: If there are an ODC of K_n by a Hamiltonian path for some n?3 and a two-colorable ODC of K_q by a Hamiltonian path for some prime power q?5, then there is an ODC of K_qn by a Hamiltonian path. In [U. Leck, A class of 2-colorable orthogonal double covers of complete graphs by hamiltonian paths, Graphs Combin. 18 (2002) 155-167], two-colorable ODCs of K_n and K_2n, respectively, by Hamiltonian paths were constructed for all odd square numbers n?9. Here we continue this work and construct cyclic two-colorable ODCs of K_n and K_2n, respectively, by Hamiltonian paths for all n of the form n=4k²+1 or n=(k²+1)/2 for some integer k.     

Hamiltonian paths with prescribed edges in hypercubes

Given a set P of at most 2n-4 prescribed edges (n?5) and vertices u and v whose mutual distance is odd, the n-dimensional hypercube Q_n contains a hamiltonian path between u and v passing through all edges of P iff the subgraph induced by P consists of pairwise vertex-disjoint paths, none of them having u or v as internal vertices or both of them as endvertices. This resolves a problem of Caha and Koubek who showed that for any n?3 there exist vertices u,v and 2n-3 edges of Q_n not contained in any hamiltonian path between u and v, but still satisfying the condition above. The proof of the main theorem is based on an inductive construction whose basis for n=5 was verified by a computer search. Classical results on hamiltonian edge-fault tolerance of hypercubes are obtained as a corollary.     

Hamiltonian cycles in Dirac graphs

We prove that for any n-vertex Dirac graph (graph with minimum degree at least n/2) G=(V,E), the number, Ψ(G), of Hamiltonian cycles in G is at least

$exp_2 [2h(G) - n\log e - o(n)],$

where h(G)=maxΣ _e x _e log(1/x _e ), the maximum over x: E → ?⁺ satisfying Σ _e?υ x _e = 1 for each υ ∈ V, and log =log₂. (A second paper will show that this bound is tight up to the o(n).)

We also show that for any (Dirac) G of minimum degree at least d, h(G) ≥ (n/2) logd, so that Ψ(G) > (d/(e + o(1))) ⁿ . In particular, this says that for any Dirac G we have Ψ(G) > n!/(2 + o(1)) ⁿ , confirming a conjecture of G. Sárközy, Selkow, and Szemerédi which was the original motivation for this work.     

Monotone paths in ordered graphs

LetV _fin andE _fin resp. denote the classes of graphsG with the property that no matter how we label the vertices (edges, resp.) ofG by members of a linearly ordered set, there will exist paths of arbitrary finite lengths with monotonically increasing labels. The classesV _inf andE _inf are defined similarly by requiring the existence of an infinite path with increasing labels. We proveE _inf ⫋V _inf ⫋V _fin ⫋E _fin. Finally we consider labellings by positive integers and characterize the class corresponding toV _inf.     

Disjoint shortest paths in graphs

It is an interesting problem that how much connectivity ensures the existence ofn disjoint paths joining givenn pairs of vertices, but to get a sharp bound seems to be very difficult. In this paper, we study how muchgeodetic connectivity ensures the existence ofn disjointgeodesics joining givenn pairs of vertices, where a graph is calledk-geodetically connected if the removal of anyk−1 vertices does not change the distance between any remaining vertices.     

On the number of paths and cycles for almost all graphs and digraphs

In this paper it is deduced the number ofs-paths (s-cycles) havingk edges in common with a fixeds-path (s-cycle) of the complete graphK _n (orK* _n for directed graphs). It is also proved that the number of the common edges of twos-path (s-cycles) randomly chosen from the set ofs-paths (s-cycles) ofK _n (respectivelyK* _n ), are random variables, distributed asymptotically in accordance with the Poisson law whenever s/n exists, thus extending a result by Baróti. Some estimations of the numbers of paths and cycles for almost all graphs and digraphs are made by applying Chebyshev’s inequality.     

Hamiltonian cycles in bipartite graphs

We give a sufficient condition for bipartite graphs to be Hamiltonian. The condition involves the edge-density and balanced independence number of a bipartite graph.     

Long paths in sparse random graphs

We consider random graphs withn labelled vertices in which edges are chosen independently and with probabilityc/n. We prove that almost every random graph of this kind contains a path of length ≧(1 −α(c))n where α(c) is an exponentially decreasing function ofc. Dedicated to Tibor Gallai on his seventieth birthday     

A linear-time algorithm for edge-disjoint paths in planar graphs

In this paper we discuss the problem of finding edge-disjoint paths in a planar, undirected graph such that each path connects two specified vertices on the boundary of the graph. We will focus on the “classical” case where an instance additionally fulfills the so-calledevenness-condition. The fastest algorithm for this problem known from the literature requiresO (n ^5/3(loglogn)^1/3) time, wheren denotes the number of vertices. In this paper now, we introduce a new approach to this problem, which results in anO(n) algorithm. The proof of correctness immediately yields an alternative proof of the Theorem of Okamura and Seymour, which states a necessary and sufficient condition for solvability.     

Packing paths in planar graphs

A generalization of P. Seymour's theorem on planar integral 2-commodity flows is given when the underlying graphG together with the demand graphH (a graph having edges that connect the corresponding terminal pairs) form a planar graph and the demand edges are on two faces ofG.     

Long paths with endpoints in given vertex-subsets of graphs

Let G=(V,E) be a connected graph of order n, t a real number with t?1 and M⊆V(G) with . In this paper, we study the problem of some long paths to maintain their one or two different endpoints in M. We obtain the following two results: (1) for any vertex v∈V(G), there exists a vertex u∈M and a path P with the two endpoints v and u to satisfy , , d_G(u)+1-t}; (2) there exists either a cycle C to cover all vertices of M or a path P with two different endpoints u₀ and u_p in M to satisfy , where .     

Measurable chromatic number of geometric graphs and sets without some distances in euclidean space

LetH be a set of positive real numbers. We define the geometric graphG _H as follows: the vertex set isR ⁿ (or the unit circleS ¹) andx, y are joined if their distance belongs toH. We define the measurable chromatic number of geometric graphs as the minimum number of classes in a measurable partition into independent sets. In this paper we investigate the difference between the notions of the ordinary and measurable chromatic numbers. We also prove upper and lower bounds on the Lebesgue upper density of independent sets.     

Proof of the Seymour conjecture for large graphs

Paul Seymour conjectured that any graphG of ordern and minimum degree of at leastk/k+1n contains thekth power of a Hamiltonian cycle. Here, we prove this conjecture for sufficiently largen.     

Characterization of special hamiltonian graphs

We get a formula for the number of hamiltonian circuits of a graph through which we characterize the special hamiltonian graphs, that is containing a dominant circuit of minimal length.