Subdivisions in apex graphs

The Kelmans-Seymour conjecture states that every 5-connected nonplanar graph contains a subdivided K ₅. Certain questions of Mader propose a “plan” towards a possible resolution of this conjecture. One part of this plan is to show that every 5-connected nonplanar graph containing K^-₄K^{-}_{4} or K _2,3 as a subgraph has a subdivided K ₅. Recently, Ma and Yu showed that every 5-connected nonplanar graph containing K^-₄K^{-}_{4} as a subgraph has a subdivided K ₅. We take interest in K _2,3 and prove that every 5-connected nonplanar apex graph containing K _2,3 as a subgraph contains a subdivided K ₅. The result of Ma and Yu can be used in a short discharging argument to prove that every 5-connected nonplanar apex graph contains a subdivided K ₅; here we propose a longer proof whose merit is that it avoids the use of discharging and employs a more structural approach; consequently it is more amenable to generalization.     

Contractible Triples in Highly Connected Graphs

We prove that if G is k-connected (with k ≥ 2), then G contains either a cycle of length 4 or a connected subgraph of order 3 whose contraction results in a k-connected graph. This immediately implies that any k-connected graph has either a cycle of length 4 or a connected subgraph of order 3 whose deletion results in a (k − 1)-connected graph.     

A characterization of Hamiltonian prisms

A characterization is established for a graph G to have a Hamilton cycle in G × K₂, the prism over G. Moreover, it is shown that every 3-connected graph has a 2-connected spanning bipartite subgraph. Using this result, the existence of a Hamilton cycle in the prism over every 3-connected cubic graph is established. Further, the existence of a Hamilton cycle in the prism over a cubic 2-connected graph is also discussed. Earlier results in this direction are shown to be particular cases of the results obtained here. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Connected,locally 2-connected,K1,3-free graphs are panconnected

A graph G is locally n-connected, n ≥ 1, if the subgraph induced by the neighborhood of each vertex is n-connected. We prove that every connected, locally 2-connected graph containing no induced subgraph isomorphic to K_1,3 is panconnected.     

A note on locally connected and hamiltonian-connected graphs

A graphG is locallyn-connected,n≧1, if the subgraph induced by the neighborhood of each vertex isn-connected. It is shown that every connected, locally 3-connected graph containing no induced subgraph isomorphic toK(1, 3) is hamiltonian-connected.     

Long cycles and spanning subgraphs of locally maximal 1-planar graphs

A graph is 1-planar if it has a drawing in the plane such that each edge is crossed at most once by another edge. Moreover, if this drawing has the additional property that for each crossing of two edges the end vertices of these edges induce a complete subgraph, then the graph is locally maximal 1-planar. For a 3-connected locally maximal 1-planar graph G, we show the existence of a spanning 3-connected planar subgraph and prove that G is Hamiltonian if G has at most three 3-vertex-cuts, and that G is traceable if G has at most four 3-vertex-cuts. Moreover, infinitely many nontraceable 5-connected 1-planar graphs are presented.     

The early evolution of the H-free process

The H-free process, for some fixed graph H, is the random graph process defined by starting with an empty graph on n vertices and then adding edges one at a time, chosen uniformly at random subject to the constraint that no H subgraph is formed. Let G be the random maximal H-free graph obtained at the end of the process. When H is strictly 2-balanced, we show that for some c>0, with high probability as n→∞, the minimum degree in G is at least cn^{1-(v_H-2)/(e_H-1)}(logn)^1/(e_H-1)cn^{1-(v_{H}-2)/(e_{H}-1)}(\log n)^{1/(e_{H}-1)}. This gives new lower bounds for the Turán numbers of certain bipartite graphs, such as the complete bipartite graphs K _r,r with r≥5. When H is a complete graph K _s with s≥5 we show that for some C>0, with high probability the independence number of G is at most Cn^2/(s+1)(logn)^1-1/(e_H-1)Cn^{2/(s+1)}(\log n)^{1-1/(e_{H}-1)}. This gives new lower bounds for Ramsey numbers R(s,t) for fixed s≥5 and t large. We also obtain new bounds for the independence number of G for other graphs H, including the case when H is a cycle. Our proofs use the differential equations method for random graph processes to analyse the evolution of the process, and give further information about the structure of the graphs obtained, including asymptotic formulae for a broad class of subgraph extension variables.     

Disjoint cycles in star-free graphs

A graph is claw-free if it does not contain K_1.3 as an induced subgraph. It is K_1.r-free if it does not contain K_1.r as an induced subgraph. We show that if a graph is K_1.r-free (r ≥ 4), only p + 2r − 1 edges are needed to insure that G has two disjoint cycles. As an easy consequence we get a well-known result of Pósa's. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Every 3-connected,locally connected,claw-free graph is Hamilton-connected

A graph G is locally connected if the subgraph induced by the neighbourhood of each vertex is connected. We prove that a locally connected graph G of order p ≥ 4, containing no induced subgraph isomorphic to K_1,3, is Hamilton-connected if and only if G is 3-connected. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The smallest degree sum that yields potentially Kr,r-graphic sequences

We consider a variation of a classical Turán-type extremal problem as follows: Determine the smallest even integer σ(K_r,r,n) such that every n-term graphic sequence π = (d₁,d₂,...,d_n) with term sum σ(π) = d₁ + d₂ + ... + d_n ≥ σ(K_r,r,n) is potentially K_r,r-graphic, where K_r,r is an r × r complete bipartite graph, i.e. π has a realization G containing K_r,r as its subgraph. In this paper, the values σ(K_r,r,n) for even r and n ≥ 4r² - r - 6 and for odd r and n ≥ 4r² + 3r - 8 are determined.     

On the computational complexity of ordered subgraph recognition

Let (G, <) be a finite graph G with a linearly ordered vertex set V. We consider the decision problem (G, <)ORD to have as an instance an (unordered) graph Γ and as a question whether there exists a linear order ≤ on V(Γ) and an order preserving graph isomorphism of (G, <) onto an induced subgraph of Γ. Several familiar classes of graph are characterized as the yes-instances of (G, < )ORD for appropriate choices of (G, <). Here the complexity of (G, <)ORD is investigated. We conjecture that for any 2-connected graph G, G ≠ K_k, (G, <)ORD is NP-complete. This is verified for almost all 2-connected graphs. Several related problems are formulated and discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

F-Continuous Graphs

For a nontrivial connected graph F, the F-degree of a vertex in a graph G is the number of copies of F in G containing . A graph G is F-continuous (or F-degree continuous) if the F-degrees of every two adjacent vertices of G differ by at most 1. All P₃-continuous graphs are determined. It is observed that if G is a nontrivial connected graph that is F-continuous for all nontrivial connected graphs F, then either G is regular or G is a path. In the case of a 2-connected graph F, however, there always exists a regular graph that is not F-continuous. It is also shown that for every graph H and every 2-connected graph F, there exists an F-continuous graph G containing H as an induced subgraph.     

Set Partition Complexes

The Hom complexes were introduced by Lovász to study topological obstructions to graph colorings. The vertices of Hom(G,K _n ) are the n-colorings of the graph G, and a graph coloring is a partition of the vertex set into independent sets. Replacing the independence condition with any hereditary condition defines a set partition complex. We show how coloring questions arising from, for example, Ramsey theory can be formulated with set partition complexes. It was conjectured by Babson and Kozlov, and proved by Čukić and Kozlov, that Hom(G,K _n ) is (n−d−2)-connected, where d is the maximal degree of a vertex of G. We generalize this to set partition complexes.     

Mader’s Conjecture On Extremely Critical Graphs

A non-complete graph G is called an (n,k)-graph if it is n-connected but G—X is not (n−|X|+1)-connected for any X ⊂V (G) with |X|≤k. Mader conjectured that for k≥3 the graph K_2k+2−(1−factor) is the unique (2k,k)-graph(up to isomorphism). Here we prove this conjecture.     

Binding Numbers and Connected Factors

In this paper, we obtain some sufficient conditions based on binding number for a graph to have a connected factor with degree restrictions. Let α and k be positive integers with α + k ≥ 4. Let G be a connected graph with a spanning subgraph F, each component of which has order at least α. We show that if the binding number of G is greater than (α k − α)/(α k − α −1) (k ≥ 2) and α/(α −2) (k = 1) then G has a connected subgraph which has F and in which every vertex v has degree at most deg _F (v) + k. From the result, we derive various sufficient conditions for a graph to have a connected [a, b]-factor.     

Transfers of metabelian p-groups

Explicit expressions for the transfers V _i from a metabelian p-group G of coclass cc(G) = 1 to its maximal normal subgroups M ₁, . . . , M _p+1 are derived by means of relations for generators. The expressions for the exceptional case p = 2 differ significantly from the standard case of odd primes p ≥ 3. In both cases the transfer kernels Ker(V _i ) are calculated and the principalisation type of the metabelian p-group is determined, if G is realised as the Galois group Gal(F_p²(K)|K){{\rm{Gal}}({F}_p^2(K)\vert K)} of the second Hilbert p-class field F_p²(K){{F}_p^2(K)} of an algebraic number field K. For certain metabelian 3-groups G with abelianisation G/G′ of type (3, 3) and of coclass cc(G) = r ≥ 3, it is shown that the principalisation type determines the position of G on the coclass graph G(3,r){\mathcal{G}(3,r)} in the sense of Eick and Leedham-Green.     

Results on <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>-continuous graphs

For any nontrivial connected graph F and any graph G, the F-degree of a vertex v in G is the number of copies of F in G containing v. G is called F-continuous if and only if the F-degrees of any two adjacent vertices in G differ by at most 1; G is F-regular if the F-degrees of all vertices in G are the same. This paper classifies all P ₄-continuous graphs with girth greater than 3. We show that for any nontrivial connected graph F other than the star K _1,k , k ⩾ 1, there exists a regular graph that is not F-continuous. If F is 2-connected, then there exists a regular F-continuous graph that is not F-regular.      

On potentially <Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-graphic sequences

For given a graph H, a graphic sequence π = (d ₁, d ₂,..., d _n) is said to be potentially H-graphic if there is a realization of π containing H as a subgraph. In this paper, we characterize the potentially (K ₅ − e)-positive graphic sequences and give two simple necessary and sufficient conditions for a positive graphic sequence π to be potentially K ₅-graphic, where K _r is a complete graph on r vertices and K _r-e is a graph obtained from K _r by deleting one edge. Moreover, we also give a simple necessary and sufficient condition for a positive graphic sequence π to be potentially K ₆-graphic. Project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10401010).     

Bounds on the number of cycles of length three in a planar graph

LetG be ap-vertex planar graph having a representation in the plane with nontriangular facesF ₁,F ₂, …,F _r. Letf ₁,f ₂, …,f _r denote the lengths of the cycles bounding the facesF ₁,F ₂, …,F _r respectively. LetC ₃(G) be the number of cycles of length three inG. We give bounds onC ₃(G) in terms ofp,f ₁,f ₂, …,f _r. WhenG is 3-connected these bounds are bounds for the number of triangles in a polyhedron. We also show that all possible values ofC ₃(G) between the maximum and minimum value are actually achieved. This research was supported in part by the U.S.A.F. Office of Scientific Research, Systems Command, under Grant AFOSR-76-3017 and the National Science Foundation under Grant ENG79-09724.     

Unique and faithful embeddings of projective-planar graphs

A graph G is uniquely embeddable in a surface F² if for any two embeddings f₁,f₂: G → F², there exists an isomorphism σ: G → G and a homeomorphism h: F² → F² for which h → f₁ = f₂ σ. A graph G is faithfully embeddable in a surface F² if G admits an embedding f: G → F² such that for any isomorphism σ: G → G, there is a homeomorphism h: F² → F² with h → f = f → σ. It will be shown that if a projective-planar graph G is 5-connected and contains a subdivision of the complete graph K₆ as its subgraph, then G is uniquely embeddable in a projective plane, and that moreover if G is not isomorphic to K₆, then G is faithfully embeddable in a projective plane.