Maximize the Q-index of graphs with fixed order and size

In this paper, we consider two kinds of spectral extremal questions. The first asks which graph attains the maximum Q-index over all graphs of order n and size $m=n+k$? The second asks which graph attains the maximum Q-index over all $(p,q)$-bipartite graphs with $m=p+q+k$ edges? We solve the first question for $4\le k\le n?3$, and the second question for $?p?q\le k\le p?q$. The maximum Q-index on connected $(p,q)$-bipartite graphs is also determined for $?1\le k\le p?2$.     

Moment subset sums over finite fields

The k-subset sum problem over finite fields is a classical NP-complete problem. Motivated by coding theory applications, a more complex problem is the higher m-th moment k-subset sum problem over finite fields. We show that there is a deterministic polynomial time algorithm for the m-th moment k-subset sum problem over finite fields for each fixed m when the evaluation set is the image set of a monomial or Dickson polynomial of any degree n. In the classical case $m=1$, this recovers previous results of Nguyen-Wang (the case $m=1,p>2$) [22] and the results of Choe-Choe (the case $m=1,p=2$) [3].     

Remarks on the distribution of colors in Gallai colorings

A Gallai coloring of a complete graph $K_n$ is an edge coloring without triangles colored with three different colors. A sequence $e_1\ge \cdots \ge e_k$ of positive integers is an $(n,k)$-sequence if ${\sum }_{i=1}^k{e}_i=\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{n}{2}\right)$. An $(n,k)$-sequence is a G-sequence if there is a Gallai coloring of $K_n$ with $k$ colors such that there are $e_i$ edges of color $i$ for all $i,1\le i\le k$. Gyárfás, Pálvölgyi, Patkós and Wales proved that for any integer $k\ge 3$ there exists an integer $g\left(k\right)$ such that every $(n,k)$-sequence is a G-sequence if and only if $n\ge g\left(k\right)$. They showed that $g\left(3\right)=5,g\left(4\right)=8$ and $2k-2\le g\left(k\right)\le 8k^2+1$.We show that $g\left(5\right)=10$ and give almost matching lower and upper bounds for $g\left(k\right)$ by showing that with suitable constants $\alpha ,\beta >0$, $\frac{\alpha k^{1.5}}{lnk}\le g\left(k\right)\le \beta k^{1.5}$ for all sufficiently large $k$.     

Reversible Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature

Without the restriction of quadratic form as a Riemannian metric, a Finsler metric $F=F(x,y)$ on a smooth manifold M can be reversible (symmetric in y) or not. Reversible Finsler metrics have different properties from Riemannian metrics though it seems they are very close to Riemannian metrics. Hilbert metric is the famous reversible Finsler metric of negative constant flag curvature in the history, and it is projectively flat. Then it is natural to ask the question how to classify reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature and give more new examples? In this paper, we answer the above question by giving the classification when the flag curvature $\mathbf{K}=-1,0,1$ respectively. Especially, for the case when $\mathbf{K}=-1$, we show that the only reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics are just Hilbert metrics. For the case when $\mathbf{K}=1$, we give an algebraic way to construct explicit metric function by solving algebraic equations, such as by solving a quartic equation. When the flag curvature is zero, it is much easier to construct reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics than before.     

3-Vertices with fewest 2-neighbors in plane graphs with no long paths of 2-vertices

Let $g(k,t)$ be the minimum integer such that every plane graph with girth g at least $g(k,t)$, minimum degree $\delta =2$ and no $(k+1)$-paths consisting of vertices of degree 2, where $k\ge 1$, has a 3-vertex with at least t neighbors of degree 2, where $1\le t\le 3$.In 2015, Jendrol' and Maceková proved $g(1,1)\le 7$. Later on, Hudák et al. established $g(1,3)=10$, Jendrol', Maceková, Montassier, and Soták proved $g(1,1)\ge 7$, $g(1,2)=8$ and $g(2,2)\ge 11$, and we recently proved that $g(2,2)=11$ and $g(2,3)=14$.Thus $g(k,t)$ is already known for $k=1$ and all t. In this paper, we prove that $g(k,1)=3k+4$, $g(k,2)=3k+5$, and $g(k,3)=3k+8$ whenever $k\ge 2$.     

Improvements on Hippchen's conjecture

Let G be a k-connected graph on n vertices. Hippchen's Conjecture (2008) states that two longest paths in G share at least k vertices. Gutiérrez (2020) recently proved the conjecture when $k\le 4$ or $k\ge \frac{n?2}{3}$. We improve upon both results; namely, we show that two longest paths in G share at least k vertices when $k=5$ or $k\ge \frac{n+2}{5}$. This completely resolves two conjectures by Gutiérrez in the affirmative.     

Erdős matching conjecture for almost perfect matchings

In 1965 Erd?s asked, what is the largest size of a family of k-element subsets of an n-element set that does not contain a matching of size $s+1$? In this note, we improve upon a recent result of Frankl and resolve this problem for $s>101k^3$ and $(s+1)k?n<(s+1)(k+\frac{1}{100k})$.     

Hamiltonian s-properties and eigenvalues of k-connected graphs

Chvátal and Erdös (1972) [5] proved that, for a k-connected graph G, if the stability number $\alpha (G)\le k?s$, then G is Hamilton-connected ($s=1$) or Hamiltonian ($s=0$) or traceable ($s=?1$). Motivated by the result, we focus on tight sufficient spectral conditions for k-connected graphs to possess Hamiltonian s-properties. We say that a graph possesses Hamiltonian s-properties, which means that the graph is Hamilton-connected if $s=1$, Hamiltonian if $s=0$, and traceable if $s=?1$.For a real number $a\ge 0$, and for a k-connected graph G with order n, degree diagonal matrix $D(G)$ and adjacency matrix $A(G)$, we have identified best possible upper bounds for the spectral radius ${\lambda }_1(aD(\mathrm{\Gamma })+A(\mathrm{\Gamma }))$, where Γ is either G or the complement of G, to warrant that G possesses Hamiltonian s-properties. Sufficient conditions for a graph G to possess Hamiltonian s-properties in terms of upper bounds for the Laplacian spectral radius as well as lower bounds of the algebraic connectivity of G are also obtained. Other best possible spectral conditions for Hamiltonian s-properties are also discussed.     

Bounds for moments of cubic and quartic Dirichlet L-functions

We study the $2k$-th moment of central values of the family of primitive cubic and quartic Dirichlet $L$-functions. We establish sharp lower bounds for all real $k\ge 1/2$ unconditionally for the cubic case and under the Lindelöf hypothesis for the quartic case. We also establish sharp lower bounds for all real $0\le k<1/2$ and sharp upper bounds for all real $k\ge 0$ for both the cubic and quartic cases under the generalized Riemann hypothesis (GRH). As an application of our results, we establish quantitative non-vanishing results for the corresponding $L$-values.