On the Convexity Number of Graphs

A set of vertices S in a graph is convex if it contains all vertices which belong to shortest paths between vertices in S. The convexity number c(G) of a graph G is the maximum cardinality of a convex set of vertices which does not contain all vertices of G. We prove NP-completeness of the problem to decide for a given bipartite graph G and an integer k whether c(G) ≥ k. Furthermore, we identify natural necessary extension properties of graphs of small convexity number and study the interplay between these properties and upper bounds on the convexity number.     

Convexity in oriented graphs

For vertices u and v in an oriented graph D, the closed interval I[u,v] consists of u and v together with all vertices lying in a u−v geodesic or v−u geodesic in D. For S⊆V(D), I[S] is the union of all closed intervals I[u,v] with u,v∈S. A set S is convex if I[S]=S. The convexity number con(D) is the maximum cardinality of a proper convex set of V(D). The nontrivial connected oriented graphs of order n with convexity number n−1 are characterized. It is shown that there is no connected oriented graph of order at least 4 with convexity number 2 and that every pair k, n of integers with 1⩽k⩽n−1 and k≠2 is realizable as the convexity number and order, respectively, of some connected oriented graph. For a nontrivial connected graph G, the lower orientable convexity number con⁻(G) is the minimum convexity number among all orientations of G and the upper orientable convexity number con⁺(G) is the maximum such convexity number. It is shown that con⁺(G)=n−1 for every graph G of order n⩾2. The lower orientable convexity numbers of some well-known graphs are determined, with special attention given to outerplanar graphs.     

A lower bound for the convexity number of some graphs

Given a connected graphG, we say that a setC ?V(G) is convex inG if, for every pair of verticesx, y ∈ C, the vertex set of everyx-y geodesic inG is contained inC. The convexity number ofG is the cardinality of a maximal proper convex set inG. In this paper, we show that every pairk, n of integers with 2 ≤k ≤ n?1 is realizable as the convexity number and order, respectively, of some connected triangle-free graph, and give a lower bound for the convexity number ofk-regular graphs of ordern withn>k+1.     

Graphs with intrinsic s3 convexities

Separation properties for some intrinsic convexities of graphs are investigated. The most natural convexities defined on a graph are the induced path convexity and the geodesic convexity. A set A of vertices is convex with respect to the former convexity if A contains every induced path connecting two vertices of A. In particular, a characterization of those graphs is given in which all such convex sets are the intersections of halfspaces (i.e., convex sets with convex complements).     

A class of h-perfect graphs

A graph is said to be h-perfect if the convex hull of its independent sets is defined by the constraints corresponding to cliques and odd holes, and the nonnegativity constraints. Series-parallel graphs and perfect graphs are h-perfect. The purpose of this paper is to extend the class of graphs known to be h-perfect. Thus, given a graph which is the union of a bipartite graph G₁ and a graph G₂ having exactly two common nodes a and b, and no edge in common, we prove that G is h-perfect if so is the graph obtained from G by replacing G₁ by an a-b chain (the length of which depends on G₁). This result enables us to prove that the graph obtained by substituting bipartite graphs for edges of a series-parallel graph is h-perfect, and also that the identification of two nodes of a bipartite graph yields an h-perfect graph (modulo a reduction which preserves h-perfection).     

Uniformly finite-to-one and onto extensions of homomorphisms between strongly connected graphs

For a homomorphism between directed graphs G₁ and G₂, its extension is the mapping of the set of all paths in G₁ into the set of all paths in G₂ obtained by naturally extending it. We investigate the properties of uniformly finite-to-one and onto extensions of homomorphisms of directed graphs, essentially the properties of uniformly finite-to-one and onto extensions of homomorphisms between strongly connected directed graphs. We also describe applications of our results on homomorphisms of directed graphs to the theory of a class of symbolic flows called subshifts of finite type.     

Complexity results related to monophonic convexity

The study of monophonic convexity is based on the family of induced paths of a graph. The closure of a subset X of vertices, in this case, contains every vertex v such that v belongs to some induced path linking two vertices of X. Such a closure is called monophonic closure. Likewise, the convex hull of a subset is called monophonic convex hull. In this work we deal with the computational complexity of determining important convexity parameters, considered in the context of monophonic convexity. Given a graph G, we focus on three parameters: the size of a maximum proper convex subset of G (m-convexity number); the size of a minimum subset whose closure is equal to V(G) (monophonic number); and the size of a minimum subset whose convex hull is equal to V(G) (m-hull number). We prove that the decision problems corresponding to the m-convexity and monophonic numbers are NP-complete, and we describe a polynomial time algorithm for computing the m-hull number of an arbitrary graph.     

Sandpile groups and spanning trees of directed line graphs

We generalize a theorem of Knuth relating the oriented spanning trees of a directed graph G and its directed line graph LG. The sandpile group is an abelian group associated to a directed graph, whose order is the number of oriented spanning trees rooted at a fixed vertex. In the case when G is regular of degree k, we show that the sandpile group of G is isomorphic to the quotient of the sandpile group of LG by its k-torsion subgroup. As a corollary we compute the sandpile groups of two families of graphs widely studied in computer science, the de Bruijn graphs and Kautz graphs.     

Queue layouts of iterated line directed graphs

In this paper, we study queue layouts of iterated line directed graphs. A k-queue layout of a directed graph consists of a linear ordering of the vertices and an assignment of each arc to exactly one of the k queues so that any two arcs assigned to the same queue do not nest. The queuenumber of a directed graph is the minimum number of queues required for a queue layout of the directed graph.We present upper and lower bounds on the queuenumber of an iterated line directed graph L^k(G) of a directed graph G. Our upper bound depends only on G and is independent of the number of iterations k. Queue layouts can be applied to three-dimensional drawings. From the results on the queuenumber of L^k(G), it is shown that for any fixed directed graph G, L^k(G) has a three-dimensional drawing with O(n) volume, where n is the number of vertices in L^k(G). These results are also applied to specific families of iterated line directed graphs such as de Bruijn, Kautz, butterfly, and wrapped butterfly directed graphs. In particular, the queuenumber of k-ary butterfly directed graphs is determined if k is odd.     

Convex domination in the composition and cartesian product of graphs

In this paper we characterize the convex dominating sets in the composition and Cartesian product of two connected graphs. The concepts of clique dominating set and clique domination number of a graph are defined. It is shown that the convex domination number of a composition G[H] of two non-complete connected graphs G and H is equal to the clique domination number of G. The convex domination number of the Cartesian product of two connected graphs is related to the convex domination numbers of the graphs involved.     

The Forcing Convexity Number of a Graph

For two vertices u and v of a connected graph G, the set I(u,v) consists of all those vertices lying on a u-v geodesic in G. For a set S of vertices of G, the union of all sets I(u,v) for u, v S is denoted by I(S). A set S is a convex set if I(S) = S. The convexity number con(G) of G is the maximum cardinality of a proper convex set of G. A convex set S in G with |S| = con(G) is called a maximum convex set. A subset T of a maximum convex set S of a connected graph G is called a forcing subset for S if S is the unique maximum convex set containing T. The forcing convexity number f(S, con) of S is the minimum cardinality among the forcing subsets for S, and the forcing convexity number f(G, con) of G is the minimum forcing convexity number among all maximum convex sets of G. The forcing convexity numbers of several classes of graphs are presented, including complete bipartite graphs, trees, and cycles. For every graph G, f(G, con) con(G). It is shown that every pair a, b of integers with 0 a b and b is realizable as the forcing convexity number and convexity number, respectively, of some connected graph. The forcing convexity number of the Cartesian product of H × K ₂ for a nontrivial connected graph H is studied.     

On geodesic structures of weakly median graphs—II: Compactness, the role of isometric rays

We prove that the vertex set of a K_ℵ0-free weakly median graph G endowed with the weak topology associated with the geodesic convexity on V(G) is compact if and only if G has one of the following equivalent properties: (1) G contains no isometric rays; (2) any chain of interval of G ordered by inclusion is finite; (3) every self-contraction of G fixes a non-empty finite regular weakly median subgraph of G. We study the self-contractions of K_ℵ0-free weakly median graphs which fix no finite set of vertices. We also follow a suggestion of Imrich and Klavzar [Product Graphs, Wiley, New York, 2000] by defining different centers of such a graph G, each of them giving rise to a non-empty finite regular weakly median subgraph of G which is fixed by all automorphisms of G.     

Convex Sets Under Some Graph Operations

 Given a connected graph G, we say that a set C⊆V(G) is convex in G if, for every pair of vertices x,y∈C, the vertex set of every x-y geodesic in G is contained in C. The cardinality of a maximal proper convex set in G is the convexity number of G. In this paper, we characterize the convex sets of graphs resulting from some binary operations, and compute the convexity numbers of the resulting graphs. Received: October, 2001 Final version received: September 4, 2002 Acknowledgments. The authors would like to thank the referee for the helpful suggestions and useful comments.     

Distance spectra and distance energy of integral circulant graphs

The distance energy of a graph G is a recently developed energy-type invariant, defined as the sum of absolute values of the eigenvalues of the distance matrix of G. There was a vast research for the pairs and families of non-cospectral graphs having equal distance energy, and most of these constructions were based on the join of graphs. A graph is called circulant if it is Cayley graph on the circulant group, i.e. its adjacency matrix is circulant. A graph is called integral if all eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix are integers. Integral circulant graphs play an important role in modeling quantum spin networks supporting the perfect state transfer. In this paper, we characterize the distance spectra of integral circulant graphs and prove that these graphs have integral eigenvalues of distance matrix D. Furthermore, we calculate the distance spectra and distance energy of unitary Cayley graphs. In conclusion, we present two families of pairs (G₁,G₂) of integral circulant graphs with equal distance energy - in the first family G₁ is subgraph of G₂, while in the second family the diameter of both graphs is three.     

Netlike partial cubes, V: Completion and netlike classes

We define a completion of a netlike partial cube G by replacing each convex 2n-cycle C of G with n≥3 by an n-cube admitting C as an isometric cycle. We prove that a completion of G is a median graph if and only if G has the Median Cycle Property (MCP) (see N. Polat, Netlike partial cubes III. The Median Cycle Property, Discrete Math.). In fact any completion of a netlike partial cube having the MCP is defined by a universal property and turns out to be a minimal median graph containing G as an isometric subgraph. We show that the completions of the netlike partial cubes having the MCP preserves the principal constructions of these graphs, such as: netlike subgraphs, gated amalgams and expansions. Conversely any netlike partial cube having the MCP can be obtained from a median graph by deleting some particular maximal finite hypercubes. We also show that, given a netlike partial cube G having the MCP, the class of all netlike partial cubes having the MCP whose completions are isomorphic to those of G share different properties, such as: depth, lattice dimension, semicube graph and crossing graph.     

On geodesic structures of weakly median graphs I. Decomposition and octahedral graphs

We prove that the non-trivial (finite or infinite) weakly median graphs which are undecomposable with respect to gated amalgamation and Cartesian multiplication are the 5-wheels, the subhyperoctahedra different from K₁, the path K_1,2 and the 4-cycle K_2,2, and the two-connected K₄- and K_1,1,3-free bridged graphs. These prime graphs are exactly the weakly median graphs which do not have any proper gated subgraphs other than singletons. For finite graphs, these results were already proved in [H.-J. Bandelt, V.C. Chepoi, The algebra of metric betweenness I: subdirect representation, retracts, and axiomatics of weakly median graphs, preprint, 2002]. A graph G is said to have the half-space copoint property (HSCP) if every non-trivial half-space of the geodesic convexity of G is a copoint at each of its neighbors. It turns out that any median graph has the HSCP. We characterize the weakly median graphs having the HSCP. We prove that the class of these graphs is closed under gated amalgamation and Cartesian multiplication, and we describe the prime and the finite regular elements of this class.     

The convex hull of degree sequences of signed graphs

As shown in [D. Hoffman, H. Jordon, Signed graph factors and degree sequences, J. Graph Theory 52 (2006) 27-36], the degree sequences of signed graphs can be characterized by a system of linear inequalities. The set of all n-tuples satisfying this system of linear inequalities is a polytope P_n. In this paper, we show that P_n is the convex hull of the set of degree sequences of signed graphs of order n. We also determine many properties of P_n, including a characterization of its vertices. The convex hull of imbalance sequences of digraphs is also investigated using the characterization given in [D. Mubayi, T.G. Will, D.B. West, Realizing degree imbalances of directed graphs, Discrete Math. 239 (2001) 147-153].     

A Ramsey-type theorem for traceable graphs

A graph G is traceable if there is a path passing through all the vertices of G. It is proved that every infinite traceable graph either contains arbitrarily large finite chordless paths, or contains a subgraph isomorphic to graph A, illustrated in the text. A corollary is that every finitely generated infinite lattice of length 3 contains arbitrarily large finite fences. It is also proved that every infinite traceable graph containing no chordless four-point path contains a subgraph isomorphic to K_ω,ω. The versions of these results for finite graphs are discussed.     

On the packing chromatic number of Cartesian products, hexagonal lattice, and trees

The packing chromatic number χ_ρ(G) of a graph G is the smallest integer k such that the vertex set of G can be partitioned into packings with pairwise different widths. Several lower and upper bounds are obtained for the packing chromatic number of Cartesian products of graphs. It is proved that the packing chromatic number of the infinite hexagonal lattice lies between 6 and 8. Optimal lower and upper bounds are proved for subdivision graphs. Trees are also considered and monotone colorings are introduced.     

Sandwiching random graphs: universality between random graph models

The goal of this paper is to establish a connection between two classical models of random graphs: the random graph G(n,p) and the random regular graph G_d(n). This connection appears to be very useful in deriving properties of one model from the other and explains why many graph invariants are universal. In particular, one obtains one-line proofs of several highly non-trivial and recent results on G_d(n).