A Remark on Hamiltonian Cycles

Let G be an undirected and simple graph on n vertices. Let ω, α and χ denote the number of components, the independence number and the connectivity number of G. G is called a 1-tough graph if ω(G – S) ? |S| for any subset S of V(G) such that ω(G ? S) > 1. Let σ₂ = min {d(v) + d(w)|v and w are nonadjacent}. Note that the difference α - χ in 1-tough graph may be made arbitrary large. In this paper we prove that any 1-tough graph with σ₂ > n + χ - α is hamiltonian.     

On hamiltonian-connected graphs

One of the most fundamental results concerning paths in graphs is due to Ore: In a graph G, if deg x + deg y ≧ |V(G)| + 1 for all pairs of nonadjacent vertices x, y ? V(G), then G is hamiltonian-connected. We generalize this result using set degrees. That is, for S ? V(G), let deg S = |_x?S N(x)|, where N(x) = {v|xv ? E(G)} is the neighborhood of x. In particular we show: In a 3-connected graph G, if deg S₁ + deg S₂ ≧ |V(G)| + 1 for each pair of distinct 2-sets of vertices S₁, S₂ ? V(G), then G is hamiltonian-connected. Several corollaries and related results are also discussed.     

Circular perfect graphs

For 1 ≤ d ≤ k, let K_k/d be the graph with vertices 0, 1, …, k ? 1, in which i ～j if d ≤ |i ? j| ≤ k ? d. The circular chromatic number χ_c(G) of a graph G is the minimum of those k/d for which G admits a homomorphism to K_k/d. The circular clique number ω_c(G) of G is the maximum of those k/d for which K_k/d admits a homomorphism to G. A graph G is circular perfect if for every induced subgraph H of G, we have χ_c(H) = ω_c(H). In this paper, we prove that if G is circular perfect then for every vertex x of G, N_G[x] is a perfect graph. Conversely, we prove that if for every vertex x of G, N_G[x] is a perfect graph and G ? N[x] is a bipartite graph with no induced P₅ (the path with five vertices), then G is a circular perfect graph. In a companion paper, we apply the main result of this paper to prove an analog of Haj?os theorem for circular chromatic number for k/d ≥ 3. Namely, we shall design a few graph operations and prove that for any k/d ≥ 3, starting from the graph K_k/d, one can construct all graphs of circular chromatic number at least k/d by repeatedly applying these graph operations. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 186–209, 2005     

Insertible vertices,neighborhood intersections,and hamiltonicity

Let G be a simple undirected graph of order n. For an independent set S ? V(G) of k vertices, we define the k neighborhood intersections S_i = {v ? V(G)\S|N(v) ∩ S| = i}, 1 ≦ i ≦ k, with s_i = |S_i|. Using the concept of insertible vertices and the concept of neighborhood intersections, we prove the following theorem.     

Partitions of a graph into paths with prescribed endvertices and lengths

For a graph G, let σ₂(G) denote the minimum degree sum of a pair of nonadjacent vertices. We conjecture that if |V(G)| = n = Σ^k_{i = 1} a_i and σ₂(G) ≥ n + k − 1, then for any k vertices v₁, v₂,…, v_k in G, there exist vertex‐disjoint paths P₁, P₂,…, P_k such that |V(P_i)| = a_i and v_i is an endvertex of P_i for 1 ≤ i ≤ k. In this paper, we verify the conjecture for the cases where almost all a_i ≤ 5, and the cases where k ≤ 3. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 34: 163–169, 2000     

Hamilton cycles in block-intersection graphs of triple systems

Given a BIBD S = (V, B), its 1-block-intersection graph G_s has as vertices the elements of B; two vertices B₁, B₂ ∈ B are adjacent in G_s if |B₁ ∩ B₂| = 1. If S is a triple system of arbitrary index λ, it is shown that G_S is hamiltonian. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 7: 243-246, 1999     

Spanning trees with leaf distance at least four

For a graph G, we denote by i(G) the number of isolated vertices of G. We prove that for a connected graph G of order at least five, if i(G–S) < |S| for all ?? ≠ S ? V(G), then G has a spanning tree T such that the distance in T between any two leaves of T is at least four. This result was conjectured by Kaneko in “Spanning trees with constrains on the leaf degree”, Discrete Applied Math, 115 (2001), 73–76. Moreover, the condition in the result is sharp in a sense that the condition i(G–S) < |S| cannot be replaced by i(G–S) ≤ |S|. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 55: 83–90, 2007     

Covering the vertices of a graph by cycles of prescribed length

The main theorem of that paper is the following: let G be a graph of order n, of size at least (n² - 3n + 6)/2. For any integers k, n₁, n₂,…,n_k such that n = n₁ + n₂ +. + n_k and n_i ? 3, there exists a covering of the vertices of G by disjoint cycles (C_i) =l…k with |C_i| = ni, except when n = 6, n₁ = 3, n₂ = 3, and G is isomorphic to G₁, the complement of G₁ consisting of a C₃ and a stable set of three vertices, or when n = 9, n₁ = n₂ = n₃ = 3, and G is isomorphic to G₂, the complement of G₂ consisting of a complete graph on four vertices and a stable set of five vertices. We prove an analogous theorem for bipartite graphs: let G be a bipartite balanced graph of order 2n, of size at least n² - n + 2. For any integers s, n₁, n₂,…,n_s with n_i ? 2 and n = n₁ + n₂ + ? + n_s, there exists a covering of the vertices of G by s disjoint cycles C_i, with |C_i| = 2n_i.     

A Degree Sum Condition Concerning the Connectivity and the Independence Number of a Graph

Let G be a graph and S ⊂ V(G). We denote by α(S) the maximum number of pairwise nonadjacent vertices in S. For x, y ∈ V(G), the local connectivity κ(x, y) is defined to be the maximum number of internally-disjoint paths connecting x and y in G. We define . In this paper, we show that if κ(S) ≥ 3 and for every independent set {x ₁, x ₂, x ₃, x ₄} ⊂ S, then G contains a cycle passing through S. This degree condition is sharp and this gives a new degree sum condition for a 3-connected graph to be hamiltonian.     

A Spanning Tree with High Degree Vertices

Let G be a connected graph, let ${X \subset V(G)}$ and let f be a mapping from X to {2, 3, . . .}. Kaneko and Yoshimoto (Inf Process Lett 73:163–165, 2000) conjectured that if |N _G (S) ? X| ≥ f (S) ? 2|S| + ω _G (S) + 1 for any subset ${S \subset X}$ , then there exists a spanning tree T such that d _T (x) ≥ f (x) for all ${x \in X}$ . In this paper, we show a result with a stronger assumption than this conjecture; if |N _G (S) ? X| ≥ f (S) ? 2|S| + α(S) + 1 for any subset ${S \subset X}$ , then there exists a spanning tree T such that d _T (x) ≥ f (x) for all ${x \in X}$ .     

Graph-theoretic parameters concerning domination,independence, and irredundance

A vertex x in a subset X of vertices of an undericted graph is redundant if its closed neighbourhood is contained in the union of closed neighborhoods of vertices of X – {x}. In the context of a communications network, this means that any vertex that may receive communications from X may also be informed from X – {x}. The irredundance number ir (G) is the minimum cardinality taken over all maximal sets of vertices having no redundancies. The domination number γ(G) is the minimum cardinality taken over all dominating sets of G, and the independent domination number i(G) is the minimum cardinality taken over all maximal independent sets of vertices of G. The paper contians results that relate these parameters. For example, we prove that for any graph G, ir (G) > γ(G)/2 and for any grpah Gwith p vertices and no isolated vertices, i(G) ≤ p-γ(G) + 1 - ?(p - γ(G))/γ(G)?.     

Forbidden induced subgraph characterization of cograph contractions

Let S₁, S₂,…,S_t be pairwise disjoint non‐empty stable sets in a graph H. The graph H^* is obtained from H by: (i) replacing each S_i by a new vertex q_i; (ii) joining each q_i and q_j, 1 ≤ i # j ≤ t, and; (iii) joining q_i to all vertices in H – (S₁ ∪ S₂ ∪ ··· ∪ S_t) which were adjacent to some vertex of S_i. A cograph is a P₄‐free graph. A graph G is called a cograph contraction if there exist a cograph H and pairwise disjoint non‐empty stable sets in H for which G ? H^*. Solving a problem proposed by Le [ 2 ], we give a finite forbidden induced subgraph characterization of cograph contractions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 46: 217–226, 2004     

Cycles containing all vertices of maximum degree

For a graph G and an integer k, denote by V_k the set {v ∈ V(G) | d(v) ≥ k}. Veldman proved that if G is a 2-connected graph of order n with n ≤ 3k - 2 and |V_k| ≤ k, then G has a cycle containing all vertices of V_k. It is shown that the upper bound k on |V_k| is close to best possible in general. For the special case k = δ(G), it is conjectured that the condition |V_k| ≤ k can be omitted. Using a variation of Woodall's Hopping Lemma, the conjecture is proved under the additional condition that n ≤ 2δ(G) + δ(G) + 1. This result is an almost-generalization of Jackson's Theorem that every 2-connected k-regular graph of order n with n ≤ 3k is hamiltonian. An alternative proof of an extension of Jackson's Theorem is also presented. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Steiner Numbers in Graphs

Abstract

The Steiner distance d(S) of a set S of vertices in a connected graph G is the minimum size of a connected subgraph of G that contains S. The Steiner number s(G) of a connected graph G of order p is the smallest positive integer m for which there exists a set S of m vertices of G such that d(S) = p—1. A smallest set S of vertices of a connected graph G of order p for which d(S) = p—1 is called a Steiner spanning set of G. It is shown that every connected graph has a unique Steiner spanning set. If G is a connected graph of order p and k is an integer with 0 ≤ k ≤ p—1, then the kth Steiner number sk(G) of G is the smallest positive integer m for which there exists a set S of m vertices of G such that d(S) = k. The sequence s_o(G),s₁ (G),…,8_p-1(G) is called the Steiner sequence of G. Steiner sequences for trees are characterized.     

Degree bounds for the circumference of 3‐connected graphs

Let C be a longest cycle in the 3‐connected graph G and let H be a component of G ? V(C) such that |V(H)| ≥ 3. We supply estimates of the form |C| ≥ 2d(u) + 2d(v) ? α(4 ≤ α ≤ 8), where u,v are suitably chosen non‐adjacent vertices in G. Also the exceptional classes for α = 6,7,8 are characterized. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Retracts of box products with odd‐angulated factors

Let G be a connected graph with odd girth 2κ+1. Then G is a (2κ+1)‐angulated graph if every two vertices of G are connected by a path such that each edge of the path is in some (2κ+1)‐cycle. We prove that if G is (2κ+1)‐angulated, and H is connected with odd girth at least 2κ+3, then any retract of the box (or Cartesian) product G□ H is S□T where S is a retract of G and T is a connected subgraph of H. A graph G is strongly (2κ+1)‐angulated if any two vertices of G are connected by a sequence of (2κ+1)‐cycles with consecutive cycles sharing at least one edge. We prove that if G is strongly (2κ+1)‐angulated, and H is connected with odd girth at least 2κ+1, then any retract of G□ H is S□T where S is a retract of G and T is a connected subgraph of H or |V(S)|=1 and T is a retract of H. These two results improve theorems on weakly and strongly triangulated graphs by Nowakowski and Rival [Disc Math 70 ( 13 ), 169–184]. As a corollary, we get that the core of the box product of two strongly (2κ+1)‐angulated cores must be either one of the factors or the box product itself. Furthermore, if G is a strongly (2κ+1)‐angulated core, then either Gⁿ is a core for all positive integers n, or the core of Gⁿ is G for all positive integers n. In the latter case, G is homomorphically equivalent to a normal Cayley graph [Larose, Laviolette, Tardiff, European J Combin 19 ( 12 ), 867–881]. In particular, let G be a strongly (2κ+1)‐angulated core such that either G is not vertex‐transitive, or G is vertex‐transitive and any two maximum independent sets have non‐empty intersection. Then Gⁿ is a core for any positive integer n. On the other hand, let G_i be a (2κ_i+1)‐angulated core for 1 ≤ i≤ n where κ₁ < κ₂ < … < κ_n. If G_i has a vertex that is fixed under any automorphism for 1 ≤ i ≤ n‐1, or G_i is vertex‐transitive such that any two maximum independent sets have non‐empty intersection for 1 ≤ i ≤ n‐1, then □_i=1ⁿ G_i is a core. We then apply the results to construct cores that are box products with Mycielski construction factors or with odd graph factors. We also show that K(r,2r+1) □ C_2l+1 is a core for any integers l ≥ r ≥ 2. It is open whether K(r,2r+1) □ C_2l+1 is a core for r > l ≥ 2. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Toughness and the existence of k-factors

A connected graph G is called t-tough if t · w(G - S) ? |S| for any subset S of V(G) with w(G - S) > 1, where w(G - S) is the number of connected components of G - S. We prove that every k-tough graph has a k-factor if k|G| is even and |G| ? k + 1. This result, first conjectured by Chvátal, is sharp in the following sense: For any positive integer k and for any positive real number ε, there exists a (k - ε)-tough graph G with k|G| even and |G| ? k + 1 which has no k-factor.     

A degree condition for the circumference of a graph

We present a new condition on the degree sums of a graph that implies the existence of a long cycle. Let c(G) denote the length of a longest cycle in the graph G and let m be any positive integer. Suppose G is a 2-connected graph with vertices x₁,…,x_n and edge set E that satisfies the property that, for any two integers j and k with j < k, x_jx_k ? E, d(x_i) ? j and d(x_k) ? K - 1, we have (1) d(x_i) + d(x_k ? m if j + k ? n and (2) if j + k < n, either m ? n or d(x_j) + d(x_k) ? min(K + 1,m). Then c(G) ? min(m, n). This result unifies previous results of J.C. Bermond and M. Las Vergnas, respectively.     

An asymptotic version of a conjecture by Enomoto and Ota

In 2000, Enomoto and Ota [J Graph Theory 34 (2000), 163–169] stated the following conjecture. Let G be a graph of order n, and let n₁, n₂, …, n_k be positive integers with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} {{n}}_{{{i}}} = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}. If σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, then for any k distinct vertices x₁, x₂, …, x_k in G, there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, P₂, …, P_k such that |P_i|=n_i and x_i is an endpoint of P_i for every i, 1≤i≤k. We prove an asymptotic version of this conjecture in the following sense. For every k positive real numbers γ₁, …, γ_k with \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} \gamma_{{{i}}} = {{1}}\end{eqnarray*}, and for every ε>0, there exists n₀ such that for every graph G of order n≥n₀ with σ₂(G)≥n+ k?1, and for every choice of k vertices x₁, …, x_k∈V(G), there exist vertex disjoint paths P₁, …, P_k in G such that \begin{eqnarray*}\sum\nolimits_{{{i}} = {{1}}}^{{{k}}} |{{P}}_{{{i}}}| = {{n}}\end{eqnarray*}, the vertex x_i is an endpoint of the path P_i, and (γ_i?ε)n<|P_i|<(γ_i + ε)n for every i, 1≤i≤k. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 64: 37–51, 2010     

Maximum hitting time for random walks on graphs

For x and y vertices of a connected graph G, let T_G(x, y) denote the expected time before a random walk starting from x reaches y. We determine, for each n > 0, the n-vertex graph G and vertices x and y for which T_G(x, y) is maximized. the extremal graph consists of a clique on ?(2n + 1)/3?) (or ?)(2_n ? 2)/3?) vertices, including x, to which a path on the remaining vertices, ending in y, has been attached; the expected time T_G(x, y) to reach y from x in this graph is approximately 4_n³/27.