One of the best known results in spectral graph theory is the following lower bound on the chromatic number due to Alan Hoffman, where mu_1 and mu_n are respectively the maximum and minimum eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix: chi >= 1 + mu_1 / (- mu_n). We recently generalised this bound to include all eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix.
In this paper, we further generalize these results to include all eigenvalues of the adjacency, Laplacian and signless Laplacian matrices. The various known bounds are also unified by considering the normalized adjacency matrix, and examples are cited for which the new bounds outperform known bounds.
The quantum chromatic number, $χ_q(G)$, of a graph $G$ was originally defined as the minimal number of colors necessary in a quantum protocol in which two provers that cannot communicate with each other but share an entangled state can convince an interrogator with certainty that they have a coloring of the graph. We use an equivalent purely combinatorial definition of $χ_q(G)$ to prove that many spectral lower bounds for the chromatic number, $χ(G)$, are also lower bounds for $χ_q(G)$. This is achieved using techniques from linear algebra called pinching and twirling. We illustrate our result…
We characterize the r-graph with maximal p-spectral radius among the k-partite r-graphs of order n, and the 3-graph with maximal p-spectral radius among the k-chromatic 3-graphs of order n.
We show that the kite graph $K_4^{(n)}$ uniquely maximizes the distance spectral radius among all connected $4$-chromatic planar graphs on $n$ vertices.
Let G be a graph, H be its chromatic number, L be the largest eigenvalue of its Laplacian, and M be the largest eigenvalue of its adjacency matrix. Then, complementing a well-known result of Hoffman, we show that L>=(H/(H-1))M
Hoffman proved that a graph $G$ with eigenvalues $μ_1 \ge \ldots \ge μ_n$ and chromatic number $χ(G)$ satisfies: \[ χ\ge 1 + κ\] where $κ$ is the smallest integer such that \[ μ_1 + \sum_{i=1}^κ μ_{n+1-i} \le 0. \] We strengthen this well known result by proving that $χ(G)$ can be replaced by the quantum chromatic number, $χ_q(G)$, where for all graphs $χ_q(G) \le χ(G)$ and for some graphs $χ_q(G)$ is significantly smaller than $χ(G)$. We also prove a similar result, and investigate implications of these inequalities for the quantum chromatic number of various classes of graphs, which improves…
The purpose of this article is to improve existing lower bounds on the chromatic number chi. Let mu_1,...,mu_n be the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix sorted in non-increasing order. First, we prove the lower bound chi >= 1 + max_m {sum_{i=1}^m mu_i / - sum_{i=1}^m mu_{n-i+1}} for m=1,...,n-1. This generalizes the Hoffman lower bound which only involves the maximum and minimum eigenvalues, i.e., the case $m=1$. We provide several examples for which the new bound exceeds the {\sc Hoffman} lower bound. Second, we conjecture the lower bound chi >= 1 + S^+ / S^-, where S^+ and S^- are the sums …
The clique chromatic number of a graph is the minimum number of colours needed to colour its vertices so that no inclusion-wise maximal clique which is not an isolated vertex is monochromatic. We show that every graph of maximum degree $Δ$ has clique chromatic number $O\left(\fracΔ{\log~Δ}\right)$. We obtain as a corollary that every $n$-vertex graph has clique chromatic number $O\left(\sqrt{\frac{n}{\log ~n}}\right)$. Both these results are tight.
The orthogonal rank of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is the smallest dimension $ξ$ such that there exist non-zero column vectors $x_v\in\mathbb{C}^ξ$ for $v\in V$ satisfying the orthogonality condition $x_v^\dagger x_w=0$ for all $vw\in E$. We prove that many spectral lower bounds for the chromatic number, $χ$, are also lower bounds for $ξ$. This result complements a previous result by the authors, in which they showed that spectral lower bounds for $χ$ are also lower bounds for the quantum chromatic number $χ_q$. It is known that the quantum chromatic number and the orthogonal rank are incomparable. We c…
Spectral extremal results for triangle-free graphs with chromatic number at least four
School of Mathematics, East China University of Science and Technology（华东理工大学数学学院）；School of Mathematics and Physics, Xinjiang Institute of Engineering（新疆工程学院数理学院）
We prove that a formula predicted on the basis of non-rigorous physics arguments [Zdeborova and Krzakala: Phys. Rev. E (2007)] provides a lower bound on the chromatic number of sparse random graphs. The proof is based on the interpolation method from mathematical physics. In the case of random regular graphs the lower bound can be expressed algebraically, while in the case of the binomial random we obtain a variational formula. As an application we calculate improved explicit lower bounds on the chromatic number of random graphs for small (average) degrees. Additionally, show how asymptotic fo…
King, Lu, and Peng recently proved that for $Δ\geq 4$, any $K_Δ$-free graph with maximum degree $Δ$ has fractional chromatic number at most $Δ-\tfrac{2}{67}$ unless it is isomorphic to $C_5\boxtimes K_2$ or $C_8^2$. Using a different approach we give improved bounds for $Δ\geq 6$ and pose several related conjectures. Our proof relies on a weighted local generalization of the fractional relaxation of Reed's $ω$, $Δ$, $χ$ conjecture.
We define the independence ratio and the chromatic number for bounded, self-adjoint operators on an L^2-space by extending the definitions for the adjacency matrix of finite graphs. In analogy to the Hoffman bounds for finite graphs, we give bounds for these parameters in terms of the numerical range of the operator. This provides a theoretical framework in which many packing and coloring problems for finite and infinite graphs can be conveniently studied with the help of harmonic analysis and convex optimization. The theory is applied to infinite geometric graphs on Euclidean space and on the…
Proper edge coloring of a graph $G$ is called acyclic if there is no bichromatic cycle in $G$. The acyclic chromatic index of $G$, denoted by $χ'_a(G)$, is the least number of colors $k$ such that $G$ has an acyclic edge $k$-coloring. Basavaraju et al. [Acyclic edge-coloring of planar graphs, SIAM J. Discrete Math. 25 (2) (2011), 463--478] showed that $χ'_a(G)\le Δ(G)+12$ for planar graphs $G$ with maximum degree $Δ(G)$. In this paper, the bound is improved to $Δ(G)+10$.
Although it has recently been proved that the packing chromatic number is unbounded on the class of subcubic graphs, there exists subclasses in which the packing chromatic number is finite (and small). These subclasses include subcubic trees, base-3 Sierpi{ń}ski graphs and hexagonal lattices.In this paper we are interested in the packing chromatic number of subcubic outerplanar graphs. We provide asymptotic bounds depending on structural properties of the outerplanar graphs and determine sharper bounds for some classes of subcubic outerplanar graphs.
We prove $χ_s'(G)\leq 1.93 Δ(G)^2$ for graphs of sufficiently large maximum degree where $χ_s'(G)$ is the strong chromatic index of $G$. This improves an old bound of Molloy and Reed. As a by-product, we present a Talagrand-type inequality where it is allowed to exclude unlikely bad outcomes that would otherwise render the inequality unusable.
In this paper we obtain some upper bounds for $b$-chromatic number of $K_{1,t}$ -free graphs, graphs with given minimum clique partition and bipartite graphs. These bounds are in terms of either clique number or chromatic number of graphs or biclique number for bipartite graphs. We show that all the bounds are tight.
Let $\text{ch}(G)$ denote the choice number of a graph $G$ (also called "list chromatic number" or "choosability" of $G$). Noel, Reed, and Wu proved the conjecture of Ohba that $\text{ch}(G)=χ(G)$ when $|V(G)|\le 2χ(G)+1$. We extend this to a general upper bound: $\text{ch}(G)\le \max\{χ(G),\lceil({|V(G)|+χ(G)-1})/{3}\rceil\}$. Our result is sharp for $|V(G)|\le 3χ(G)$ using Ohba's examples, and it improves the best-known upper bound for $\text{ch}(K_{4,\dots,4})$.
Given a group $G$ of automorphisms of a graph $Γ$, the orbital chromatic polynomial $OP_{Γ,G}(x)$ is the polynomial whose value at a positive integer $k$ is the number of orbits of $G$ on proper $k$-colorings of $Γ.$ In \cite{Cameron}, Cameron et. al. explore the roots of orbital chromatic polynomials, and in particular prove that orbital chromatic roots are dense in $\mathbb{R}$, extending Thomassen's famous result (see \cite{Thomassen}) that chromatic roots are dense in $[\frac{32}{27},\infty)$. Cameron et al \cite{Cameron} further conjectured that the real roots of the orbital chromatic pol…
For a multigraph G, the integer round-up phi(G) of the fractional chromatic index yields a good general lower bound for the chromatic index . For an upper bound, Kahn showed that for any real c > 0 there exists a positive integer N so that the chromatic index is less than (1+c)*phi(G) whenever the fractional index > N. We show the amount by which the chromatic index can surpass phi(G) is in fact logarithmic, by showing that for any multigraph G with order n > 3 and at least one edge, the chromatic index is less than phi(G) + log (min {(n+1)/3, phi(G)}) .
Pushable homomorphisms and the pushable chromatic number $χ_p$ of oriented graphs were introduced by Klostermeyer and MacGillivray in 2004. They notably observed that, for any oriented graph $\overrightarrow{G}$, we have $χ_p(\overrightarrow{G}) \leq χ_o(\overrightarrow{G}) \leq 2 χ_p(\overrightarrow{G})$, where $χ_o(\overrightarrow{G})$ denotes the oriented chromatic number of $\overrightarrow{G}$. This stands as first general bounds on $χ_p$. This parameter was further studied in later works.This work is dedicated to the pushable chromatic number of oriented graphs fulfilling particular degr…
Problem of finding an optimal upper bound for a chromatic no. of 3K1-free graphs is still open and pretty hard. Here we find a tight chromatic upper bound for {3K1, C5}-free graphs. We prove that if G is {3K1, C5}-free, then the chromatic no. <= (3ω-1)/2 where ω is the size of a maximum clique in G and show with examples that the bound is tight.
In this paper an improved bound on the chromatic number of the Pancake graph $P_n, n\geqslant 2$, is presented. The bound is obtained using a subadditivity property of the chromatic number of the Pancake graph. We also investigate an equitable coloring of $P_n$. An equitable $(n-1)$-coloring based on efficient dominating sets is given and optimal equitable $4$-colorings are considered for small $n$. It is conjectured that the chromatic number of $P_n$ coincides with its equitable chromatic number for any $n\geqslant 2$.
The odd chromatic number and the conflict-free chromatic number are new graph parameters introduced by Petruševski and Škrekovski [2021] and Fabrici, Lužar, Rindošová and Soták [2022] respectively. In this note, we show that graphs with bounded $2$-strong colouring number have bounded odd chromatic number and bounded conflict-free chromatic number. This implies that graph classes with bounded expansion have bounded odd chromatic number and bounded conflict-free chromatic number. Moreover, it follows by known results that the odd chromatic number and the conflict-free chromatic number of $k$-pl…
Problem of finding an optimal upper bound for the chromatic no. of 3K1-free graphs is still open and pretty hard. It was proved by Choudum et al that an upper bound on the chromatic no. of {3K1, K1+C4}-free graphs, is 2ω. We improve this by proving that if G is {3K1, K1+C4}-free, then its chromatic no. is less than or equal to 3ω divided by 2, where ω is the size of a maximum clique in G. Also we give examples to show that this bound is tight.
We show that for a simple graph $G$, $c'(G)\leqΔ(G)+2$ where $c'(G)$ is the choice index (or edge-list chromatic number) of $G$, and $Δ(G)$ is the maximum degree of $G$. As a simple corollary of this result, we show that the total chromatic number $χ_T(G)$ of a simple graph satisfies the inequality $χ_T(G)\leq\ Δ(G)+4$ and the total choice number $c_T(G)$ also satisfies this inequality. We also relate these bounds to the Hall index and the Hall condition index of a simple graph, and to the total Hall number and the total Hall condition number of a simple graph.
A graph is called odd (respectively, even) if every vertex has odd (respectively, even) degree. Gallai proved that every graph can be partitioned into two even induced subgraphs, or into an odd and an even induced subgraph. We refer to a partition into odd subgraphs as an odd colouring of G. Scott [Graphs and Combinatorics, 2001] proved that a graph admits an odd colouring if and only if it has an even number of vertices. We say that a graph G is k-odd colourable if it can be partitioned into at most k odd induced subgraphs. We initiate the systematic study of odd colouring and odd chromatic n…
The anagram-free chromatic number is a new graph parameter introduced independently Kamčev, Łuczak, and Sudakov (2017) and Wilson and Wood (2017). In this note, we show that there are planar graphs of pathwidth 3 with arbitrarily large anagram-free chromatic number. More specifically, we describe $2n$-vertex planar graphs of pathwidth 3 with anagram-free chromatic number $Ω(\log n)$. We also describe $kn$ vertex graphs with pathwidth $2k-1$ having anagram-free chromatic number in $Ω(k\log n)$.
A colouring of a graph is "nonrepetitive" if for every path of even order, the sequence of colours on the first half of the path is different from the sequence of colours on the second half. We show that planar graphs have nonrepetitive colourings with a bounded number of colours, thus proving a conjecture of Alon, Grytczuk, Haluszczak and Riordan (2002). We also generalise this result for graphs of bounded Euler genus, graphs excluding a fixed minor, and graphs excluding a fixed topological minor.
Let $χ(G$) and $χ_f(G)$ denote the chromatic and fractional chromatic numbers of a graph $G$, and let $(n^+ , n^0 , n^-)$ denote the inertia of $G$. We prove that: \[ 1 + \max\left(\frac{n^+}{n^-} , \frac{n^-}{n^+}\right) \le χ(G) \mbox{ and conjecture that } 1 + \max\left(\frac{n^+}{n^-} , \frac{n^-}{n^+}\right) \le χ_f(G) \] We investigate extremal graphs for these bounds and demonstrate that this inertial bound is not a lower bound for the vector chromatic number. We conclude with a discussion of asymmetry between $n^+$ and $n^-$, including some Nordhaus-Gaddum bounds for inertia.
If $G$ is a $k$-chromatic graph of order $n$ then it is known that the chromatic polynomial of $G$, $π(G,x)$, is at most $x(x-1)\cdots (x-(k-1))x^{n-k} = (x)_{\downarrow k}x^{n-k}$ for every $x\in \mathbb{N}$. We improve here this bound by showing that \[ π(G,x) \leq (x)_{\downarrow k} (x-1)^{Δ(G)-k+1} x^{n-1-Δ(G)}\] for every $x\in \mathbb{N},$ where $Δ(G)$ is the maximum degree of $G$. Secondly, we show that if $G$ is a connected $k$-chromatic graph of order $n$ where $k\geq 4$ then $π(G,x)$ is at most $(x)_{\downarrow k}(x-1)^{n-k}$ for every real $x\geq n-2+\left( {n \choose 2} -{k \choose…
A 2-edge-colored graph or a signed graph is a simple graph with two types of edges. A homomorphism from a 2-edge-colored graph $G$ to a 2-edge-colored graph $H$ is a mapping $φ: V(G) \rightarrow V(H)$ that maps every edge in $G$ to an edge of the same type in $H$. Switching a vertex $v$ of a 2-edge-colored or signed graph corresponds to changing the type of each edge incident to $v$. There is a homomorphism from the signed graph $G$ to the signed graph $H$ if after switching some subset of the vertices of $G$ there is a 2-edge-colored homomorphism from $G$ to $H$. The chromatic number of a 2-e…
In this paper we prove that the dominator chromatic number of every oriented tree is invariant under reversal of orientation. In addition to this marquee result, we also prove the exact dominator chromatic number for arborescences and anti-arborescences as well as bounds on other orientations of oft studied tree topologies including generalized stars and caterpillars.
Oriented chromatic number of an oriented graph $G$ is the minimum order of an oriented graph $H$ such that $G$ admits a homomorphism to $H$. The oriented chromatic number of an unoriented graph $G$ is the maximal chromatic number over all possible orientations of $G$. In this paper, we prove that every Halin graph has oriented chromatic number at most 8, improving a previous bound by Hosseini Dolama and Sopena, and confirming the conjecture given by Vignal.
Here we prove that a graph without some three induced subgraphs has chromatic number at the most equal to its maximum clique size plus one. Further we show that the bounds are tight and give examples to show that each of the three forbidden subgraphs is necessary in the hypothesis.
In a recent article [5], the authors claim that the distance between the b-chromatic index of a tree and a known upper bound is at most 1. At the same time, in [7] the authors claim to be able to construct a tree where this difference is bigger than 1. However, the given example was disconnected, i.e., actually consisted of a forest. Here, we slightly modify their construction in order to produce trees, thus getting that indeed the difference between the b-chromatic index of trees and the known upper bound can be arbitrarily large. We also point out the mistake made in [5].
A b-coloring of a graph is a proper coloring of its vertices such that each color class contains a vertex adjacent to at least one vertex of every other color class. The b-chromatic number of a graph is the largest integer k such that the graph has a b-coloring with k colors. In this work we present lower bounds for the b-chromatic number of a vertex-deleted subgraph of a graph, particularly regarding two important classes, quasi-line and chordal graphs. We also get bounds for the b-chromatic number of G -{x}, when G is a graph with large girth.
In the way of proving Kneser's conjecture, László Lovász settled out a new lower bound for the chromatic number. He showed that if neighborhood complex $\mathcal{N}(G)$ of a graph $G$ is topologically $k$-connected, then its chromatic number is at least $k+3$. Then he completed his proof by showing that this bound is tight for the Kneser graph. However, there are some graphs where this bound is not useful at all, even comparing by the obvious bound; the clique number. For instance, if a graph contains no complete bipartite graph $\mathcal{K}_{l, m}$, then its Lovász's bound is at most $l+m-1$.…
Using a SAT-solver on top of a partial previously-known solution we improve the upper bound of the packing chromatic number of the infinite square lattice from 17 to 15. We discuss the merits of SAT-solving for this kind of problem as well as compare the performance of different encodings. Further, we improve the lower bound from 12 to 13 again using a SAT-solver, demonstrating the versatility of this technology for our approach.
We show that Hoffman's sum of eigenvalues bound for the chromatic number is at least as good as the Lovász theta number, but no better than the ceiling of the fractional chromatic number. In order to do so, we display an interesting connection between this sum of eigenvalues bound and a generalization of the Lovász theta number introduced by Manber and Narasimhan in 1988.
In this note we obtain a new bound for the acyclic edge chromatic number $a'(G)$ of a graph $G$ with maximum degree $D$ proving that $a'(G)\leq 3.569(D-1)$. To get this result we revisit and slightly modify the method described in [Giotis, Kirousis, Psaromiligkos and Thilikos, Theoretical Computer Science, 66: 40-50, 2017].
Let $χ(G)$ denote the chromatic number of a graph and $χ_v(G)$ denote the vector chromatic number. For all graphs $χ_v(G) \le χ(G)$ and for some graphs $χ_v(G) \ll χ(G)$. Galtman proved that Hoffman's well-known lower bound for $χ(G)$ is in fact a lower bound for $χ_v(G)$. We prove that two more spectral lower bounds for $χ(G)$ are also lower bounds for $χ_v(G)$. We then use one of these bounds to derive a new characterization of $χ_v(G)$.
Answering a question of Kalai and Meshulam, we prove that graphs without induced cycles of length $3k$ have bounded chromatic number. This implies the very first case of a much broader question asserting that every graph with large chromatic number induces a graph $H$ such that the sum of the Betti numbers of the independence complex of $H$ is also large.
It is known that the inequality $$ \frac{χ(G)(χ(G)-1)}{2} + |V| - χ(G) \leq |E|$$ holds for all connected graphs, where $χ(G)$ denotes the chromatic number of $G$. We prove that equality holds whenever the graph consists of a complete graph or an odd cycle, together with finitely many trees attached to its vertices.
