In this paper, we consider upper bounds on the size of transitive subtournaments in a digraph. In particular, we give an analogy of Hoffman's bound for the size of cocliques in a regular graph. Furthermore, we partially improve the Hoffman type bound for doubly regular tournaments by using the technique of Greaves and Soicher for strongly regular graphs [4], which gives a new application of block intersection polynomials.
Let $D_k$ denote the tournament on $3k$ vertices consisting of three disjoint vertex classes $V_1, V_2$ and $V_3$ of size $k$, each of which is oriented as a transitive subtournament, and with edges directed from $V_1$ to $V_2$, from $V_2$ to $V_3$ and from $V_3$ to $V_1$. Fox and Sudakov proved that given a natural number $k$ and $ε> 0$ there is $n_0(k,ε)$ such that every tournament of order $n_0(k,ε)$ which is $ε$-far from being transitive contains $D_k$ as a subtournament. Their proof showed that $n_0(k,ε) \leq ε^{-O(k/ε^2)}$ and they conjectured that this could be reduced to $n_0(k,ε) \leq…
The Erdős-Hajnal conjecture states that for every given undirected graph $H$ there exists a constant $c(H)>0$ such that every graph $G$ that does not contain $H$ as an induced subgraph contains a clique or a stable set of size at least $|V(G)|^{c(H)}$. The conjecture is still open. Its equivalent directed version states that for every given tournament $H$ there exists a constant $c(H)>0$ such that every $H$-free tournament $T$ contains a transitive subtournament of order at least $|V(T)|^{c(H)}$. We prove in this paper that $\{H_{1},H_{2}\}$-free tournaments $T$ contain transitive subtournamen…
Chordal graphs are important in the structural and algorithmic graph theory. A digraph analogue of chordal graphs was introduced by Haskin and Rose in 1973 but has not been a subject of active studies until recently when a characterization of semicomplete chordal digraphs in terms of forbidden subdigraphs was found by Meister and Telle. Locally semicomplete digraphs, quasi-transitive digraphs, and extended semi-complete digraphs are amongst the most popular generalizations of semicomplete digraphs. We extend the forbidden subdigraph characterization of semicomplete chordal digraphs to locally …
We study vertex-quasiprimitive $2$-arc-transitive digraphs, reducing the problem of vertex-primitive $2$-arc-transitive digraphs to almost simple groups. This includes a complete classification of vertex-quasiprimitive $2$-arc-transitive digraphs where the action on vertices has O'Nan-Scott type SD or CD.
A detailed description of the structure of two-ended arc-transitive digraphs is given. It is also shown that several sets of conditions, involving such concepts as Property Z, local quasi-primitivity and prime out-valency, imply that an arc-transitive digraph must be highly-arc-transitive. These are then applied to give a complete classification of two-ended highly-arc-transitive digraphs with prime in- and out-valencies.
We introduce a construction of highly arc transitive digraphs using a layerwise direct product. This product generalizes some known classes of highly arc transitive digraphs but also allows to construct new such. We use the product to obtain counterexamples to a conjecture by Cameron, Praeger and Wormald on the structure of certain highly arc transitive digraphs.
In this work, we establish an analogue result of the Erdös-Stone theorem of weighted digraphs using Regularity Lemma of digraphs. We give a stability result of oriented graphs and digraphs with forbidden blow-up transitive triangle and show that almost all oriented graphs and almost all digraphs with forbidden blow-up transitive triangle are almost bipartite respectively.
We resolve two problems of [Cameron, Praeger, and Wormald -- Infinite highly arc transitive digraphs and universal covering digraphs, Combinatorica 1993]. First, we construct a locally finite highly arc-transitive digraph with universal reachability relation. Second, we provide constructions of 2-ended highly arc transitive digraphs where each `building block' is a finite bipartite graph that is not a disjoint union of complete bipartite graphs. This was conjectured impossible in the above paper. We also describe the structure of 2-ended highly arc transitive digraphs in more generality, altho…
We study $G$-vertex-primitive and $(G,s)$-arc-transitive digraphs for almost simple groups $G$ with socle $\mathrm{PSL}_n(q)$. It turns out that $s\leqslant2$ for such digraphs, which provides the first step in determining an upper bound on $s$ for all the vertex-primitive $s$-arc-transitive digraphs.
A general method for constructing sharply $k$-arc-transitive digraphs, i.e. digraphs that are $k$-arc-transitive but not $(k+1)$-arc-transitive, is presented. Using our method it is possible to construct both finite and infinite examples. The infinite examples can have one, two or infinitely many ends. Among the one-ended examples there are also digraphs that have polynomial growth.
In 2017, Giudici, Li and the third author constructed the first known family of vertex-primitive $2$-arc-transitive digraphs of valency at least $2$. The smallest digraph in this family admits $\mathrm{PSL}_3(49)$ acting $2$-arc-transitively with vertex-stabilizer $\mathrm{A}_6$ and hence has $30758154560$ vertices. In this paper, we prove that this digraph is the vertex-primitive $2$-arc-transitive digraph of valency at least $2$ with fewest vertices.
We investigate the complexity of generalizations of colourings (acyclic colourings, $(k,\ell)$-colourings, homomorphisms, and matrix partitions), for the class of transitive digraphs. Even though transitive digraphs are nicely structured, many problems are intractable, and their complexity turns out to be difficult to classify. We present some motivational results and several open problems.
In this paper, we combine group-theoretic and combinatorial techniques to study $\wedge$-transitive digraphs admitting a cartesian decomposition of their vertex set. In particular, our approach uncovers a new family of digraphs that may be of considerable interest.
A complete list of all connected arc-transitive asymmetric digraphs of in-valence and out-valence 2 on up to 1000 vertices is presented. As a byproduct, a complete list of all connected 4-valent graphs admitting a half-arc-transitive group of automorphisms on up to 1000 vertices is obtained. Several graph-theoretical properties of the elements of our census are calculated and discussed.
We prove the existence of a function $h(k)$ such that every simple digraph with minimum outdegree greater than $h(k)$ contains an immersion of the transitive tournament on $k$ vertices. This solves a conjecture of Devos, McDonald, Mohar and Scheide.
We investigate the structure of a digraph having a transitive automorphism group where every cutset of minimal cardinality consists of all successors or all predecessors of some vertex. We improve most of the existing results in this area.
We investigate the class of infinite distance-transitive digraphs $D$ of finite out-valency. We show that if $D$ is a weakly descendant-homogeneous in such a class then either (1) $D$ has property $Z$ and the reachability relation is not universal; or (2) $D$ does not have property $Z$, the reachability relation is universal and $D$ has infinite in-valency. Also, we show that earlier results, proved in the context of highly-arc-transitive digraphs, hold under the weaker condition of distance-transitivity. Finally, we give a description of a subclass of the class distance-transitive weakly desc…
Let $k$ be an integer with $k\geq 2$. A digraph $D$ is $k$-quasi-transitive, if for any path $x_0x_1\ldots x_k$ of length $k$, $x_0$ and $x_k$ are adjacent. Suppose that there exists a path of length at least $k+2$ in $D$. Let $P$ be a shortest path of length $k+2$ in $D$. Wang and Zhang [Hamiltonian paths in $k$-quasi-transitive digraphs, Discrete Mathematics, 339(8) (2016) 2094--2099] proved that if $k$ is even and $k\ge 4$, then $D[V(P)]$ and $D[V(D)\setminus V(P)]$ are both semicomplete digraphs. In this paper, we shall prove that if $k$ is odd and $k\ge 5$, then $D[V(P)]$ is either a semi…
This paper initiates the investigation of the family of $(G,s)$-geodesic-transitive digraphs with $s\geq 2$. We first give a global analysis by providing a reduction result. Let $Γ$ be such a digraph and let $N$ be a normal subgroup of $G$ maximal with respect to having at least $3$ orbits. Then the quotient digraph $Γ_N$ is $(G/N,s')$-geodesic-transitive where $s'=\min\{s,\diam(Γ_N)\}$, $G/N$ is either quasiprimitive or bi-quasiprimitive on $V(Γ_N)$, and $Γ_N$ is either directed or an undirected complete graph. Moreover, it is further shown that if $Γ$ is not $(G,2)$-arc-transitive, then $G/N…
In the mid-1990s, two groups of authors independently obtained classifications of vertex-transitive graphs whose order is a product of two distinct primes. In the intervening years it has become clear that there is additional information concerning these graphs that would be useful, as well as making explicit the extensions of these results to digraphs. Additionally, there are several small errors in some of the papers that were involved in this classification. The purpose of this paper is to fill in the missing information as well as correct all known errors.
We give a new proof of the theorem of Boesch-Tindell and Farzad-Mahdian-Mahmoodian-Saberi-Sadri that a directed graph extends to a strongly connected digraph on the same vertex set if and only if it has no complete directed cut. Our proof bounds the number of edges needed for such an extension; we give examples to demonstrate sharpness. We apply the characterization to a problem on non-transitive dice.
In an earlier paper the first two authors have shown that self-complementary graphs can always be oriented in such a way that the union of the oriented version and its isomorphically oriented complement gives a transitive tournament. We investigate the possibilities of generalizing this theorem to decompositions of the complete graph into three or more isomorphic graphs. We find that a complete characterization of when an orientation with similar properties is possible seems elusive. Nevertheless, we give sufficient conditions that generalize the earlier theorem and also imply that decompositi…
Given integers $k$ and $m$, we construct a $G$-arc-transitive graph of valency $k$ and an $L$-arc-transitive oriented digraph of out-valency $k$ such that $G$ and $L$ both admit blocks of imprimitivity of size $m$.
Tournaments are orientations of the complete graph, and the directed Ramsey number $R(k)$ is the minimum number of vertices a tournament must have to be guaranteed to contain a transitive subtournament of size $k$, which we denote by $TT_k$. We include a computer-assisted proof of a conjecture by Sanchez-Flores that all $TT_6$-free tournaments on 24 and 25 vertices are subtournaments of $ST_{27}$, the unique largest TT_6-free tournament. We also classify all $TT_6$-free tournaments on 23 vertices. We use these results, combined with assistance from SAT technology, to obtain the following impro…
A fascinating problem on digraphs is the existence problem of the finiteupper bound on s for all vertex-primitive s-arc-transitive digraphs except directed cycles (which is known to be reduced to the almost simple groups case). In this paper,we prove that s 2 for all G-vertex-primitive s-arc-transitive digraphs with G an (insoluble) alternating or symmetric group, which makes an important progress towards a solution of the problem. The proofs involves some methods that may be used to investigate other almost simple groups cases.
Let $T$ be a digraph with vertices $u_1, \dots, u_t$ ($t\ge 2$) and let $H_1, \dots, H_t$ be digraphs such that $H_i$ has vertices $u_{i,j_i},\ 1\le j_i\le n_i.$ Then the composition $Q=T[H_1, \dots, H_t]$ is a digraph with vertex set $\{u_{i,j_i}\colon\, 1\le i\le t, 1\le j_i\le n_i\}$ and arc set $$A(Q)=\cup^t_{i=1}A(H_i)\cup \{u_{ij_i}u_{pq_p}\colon\, u_iu_p\in A(T), 1\le j_i\le n_i, 1\le q_p\le n_p\}.$$ The composition $Q=T[H_1, \dots, H_t]$ is a semicomplete composition if $T$ is semicomplete, i.e. there is at least one arc between every pair of vertices. Digraph compositions generalize s…
Let $D=(V(D), A(D))$ be a digraph and $k \ge 2$ an integer. We say that $D$ is $k$-quasi-transitive if for every directed path $(v_0, v_1,..., v_k)$ in $D$, then $(v_0, v_k) \in A(D)$ or $(v_k, v_0) \in A(D)$. Clearly, a 2-quasi-transitive digraph is a quasi-transitive digraph in the usual sense. Bang-Jensen and Gutin proved that a quasi-transitive digraph $D$ has a 3-king if and only if $D$ has a unique initial strong component and, if $D$ has a 3-king and the unique initial strong component of $D$ has at least three vertices, then $D$ has at least three 3-kings. In this paper we prove the fo…
It is shown that exactly 7 distance-transitive cubic graphs among the existing 12 possess a particular ultrahomogeneous property with respect to oriented cycles realizing the girth that allows the construction of a related Cayley digraph with similar ultrahomogeneous properties in which those oriented cycles appear minimally "pulled apart", or "separated" and whose description is truly beautiful and insightful. This work is proposed as the initiation of a study of similar ultrahomogeneous properties for distance-transitive graphs in general with the aim of generalizing to constructions of simi…
Solving the kernel perfect problem by (simple) forbidden subdigraphs for digraphs in some families of generalized tournaments and generalized bipartite tournaments
Motivated by his work on the classification of countable homogeneous oriented graphs, Cherlin asked about the typical structure of oriented graphs (i) without a transitive triangle, or (ii) without an oriented triangle. We give an answer to these questions (which is not quite the predicted one). Our approach is based on the recent `hypergraph containers' method, developed independently by Saxton and Thomason as well as by Balogh, Morris and Samotij. Moreover, our results generalise to forbidden transitive tournaments and forbidden oriented cycles of any order, and also apply to digraphs. Along…
Let $Γ$ be a finite $G$-vertex-transitive digraph. The in-local action of $(Γ,G)$ is the permutation group $L_-$ induced by the vertex-stabiliser on the set of in-neighbours of $v$. The out-local action $L_+$ is defined analogously. Note that $L_-$ and $L_+$ may not be isomorphic. We thus consider the problem of determining which pairs $(L_-,L_+)$ are possible. We prove some general results, but pay special attention to the case when $L_-$ and $L_+$ are both quasiprimitive. (Recall that a permutation group is quasiprimitive if each of its nontrivial normal subgroups is transitive.) Along the w…
We give certain properties which are satisfied by the descendant set of a vertex in an infinite, primitive, distance transitive digraph of finite out-valency and provide a strong structure theory for digraphs satisfying these properties. In particular, we show that there are only countably many possibilities for the isomorphism type of such a descendant set, thereby confirming a conjecture of the first Author. As a partial converse, we show that certain related conditions on a countable digraph are sufficient for it to occur as the descendant set of a primitive, distance transitive digraph.
The modular decomposition of a graph is a canonical representation of its modules. Algorithms for computing the modular decomposition of directed and undirected graphs differ significantly, with the undirected case being simpler, and algorithms for directed graphs often work by reducing the problem to decomposing undirected graphs. In this paper we show that transitive acyclic digraphs have the same strong modules as their undirected versions. This simplifies reduction for transitive digraphs, requiring only the computation of strongly connected components. Furthermore, we are interested in pe…
A reductive characterization of arc-transitive circulants was given independently by Kovacs in 2004 and the first author in 2005. In this paper, we give an explicit characterization of arc-transitive circulants and their automorphism groups. Based on this, we give a proof of the fact that arc-transitive circulants are all CI-digraphs.
The oriented Ramsey number $\vec{r}(H)$ for an acyclic digraph $H$ is the minimum integer $n$ such that any $n$-vertex tournament contains a copy of $H$ as a subgraph. We prove that the $1$-subdivision of the $k$-vertex transitive tournament $H_k$ satisfies $\vec{r}(H_k)= O(k^2\log\log k)$. This is tight up to multiplicative $\log\log k$-term. We also show that if $T$ is an $n$-vertex tournament with $Δ^+(T)-δ^+(T)= O(n/k) - k^2$, then $T$ contains a $1$-subdivision of $\vec{K}_k$, a complete $k$-vertex digraph with all possible $k(k-1)$ arcs. This is also tight up to multiplicative constant.
We prove that every finite arc-transitive graph of valency twice a prime admits a nontrivial semiregular automorphism, that is, a non-identity automorphism whose cycles all have the same length. This is a special case of the Polycirculant Conjecture, which states that all finite vertex-transitive digraphs admit such automorphisms.
A new product construction of graphs and digraphs, based on the standard box product of graphs and called the separated box product, is presented, and several of its properties are discussed. Questions about the symmetries of the product and their relations to symmetries of the factor graphs are considered. An application of this construction to the case of tetravalent edge-transitive graphs is discussed in detail.
Using the two way distance, we introduce the concepts of weak metric dimension of a strongly connected digraph $Γ$. We first establish lower and upper bounds for the number of arcs in $Γ$ by using the diameter and weak metric dimension of $Γ$, and characterize all digraphs attaining the lower or upper bound. Then we study a digraph with weak metric dimension $1$ and classify all vertex-transitive digraphs having weak metric dimension $1$. Finally, all digraphs of order $n$ with weak metric dimension $n-1$ or $n-2$ are determined.
In this paper, we prove that discrete Morse functions on digraphs are flat Witten-Morse functions and Witten complexes of transitive digraphs approach to Morse complexes. We construct a chain complex consisting of the formal linear combinations of paths which are not only critical paths of the transitive closure but also allowed elementary paths of the digraph, and prove that the homology of the new chain complex is isomorphic to the path homology. On the basis of the above results, we give the Morse inequalities on digraphs.
