Given a graph $G=(V,E)$, $S\subseteq V$ is a dominating set if every $v\in V\setminus S$ is adjacent to an element of $S$. The Minimum Dominating Set problem asks for a dominating set with minimum cardinality. It is well known that its decision version is $NP$-complete even when $G$ is a claw-free graph. We give a complexity dichotomy for the Minimum Dominating Set problem for the class of $(claw, H)$-free graphs when $H$ has at most six vertices. In an intermediate step we show that the Minimum Dominating Set problem is $NP$-complete for cubic graphs.
An induced matching $M$ in a graph $G$ is dominating if every edge not in $M$ shares exactly one vertex with an edge in $M$. The dominating induced matching problem (also known as efficient edge domination) asks whether a graph $G$ contains a dominating induced matching. This problem is generally NP-complete, but polynomial-time solvable for graphs with some special properties. In particular, it is solvable in polynomial time for claw-free graphs. In the present paper, we study this problem for graphs containing no long claw, i.e. no induced subgraph obtained from the claw by subdividing each …
Hoffmann-Ostenhof's Conjecture states that states that the edge set of every connected cubic graph can be decomposed into a spanning tree, a matching and a $2$-regular subgraph. In this paper, we show that the conjecture holds for claw-free cubic graphs.
We characterize the vertices belonging to all minimum dominating sets, to some minimum dominating sets but not all, and to no minimum dominating set. We refine this characterization for some well studied sub-classes of graphs: chordal, claw-free, triangle-free. Also we exhibit some graphs answering to some open questions of the literature on minimum dominating sets.
Lovasz and Plummer conjectured that there exists a fixed positive constant c such that every cubic n-vertex graph with no cutedge has at least 2^(cn) perfect matchings. Their conjecture has been verified for bipartite graphs by Voorhoeve and planar graphs by Chudnovsky and Seymour. We prove that every claw-free cubic n-vertex graph with no cutedge has more than 2^(n/12) perfect matchings, thus verifying the conjecture for claw-free graphs.
A \emph{$k$--bisection} of a bridgeless cubic graph $G$ is a $2$--colouring of its vertex set such that the colour classes have the same cardinality and all connected components in the two subgraphs induced by the colour classes have order at most $k$. Ban and Linial conjectured that {\em every bridgeless cubic graph admits a $2$--bisection except for the Petersen graph}. In this note, we prove Ban--Linial's conjecture for claw--free cubic graphs.
The zero forcing number of a simple graph, written $Z(G)$, is a NP-hard graph invariant which is the result of the zero forcing color change rule. This graph invariant has been heavily studied by linear algebraists, physicists, and graph theorist. It's broad applicability and interesting combinatorial properties have attracted the attention of many researchers. Of particular interest, is that of bounding the zero forcing number from above. In this paper we show a surprising relation between the zero forcing number of a graph and the independence number of a graph, denoted $α(G)$. Our main theo…
Given a simple, finite graph with vertex set $V(G)$, we define a zero forcing set of $G$ as follows. Choose $S\subseteq V(G)$ and color all vertices of $S$ blue and all vertices in $V(G) - S$ white. The color change rule is if $w$ is the only white neighbor of blue vertex $v$, then we change the color of $w$ from white to blue. If after applying the color change rule as many times as possible eventually every vertex of $G$ is blue, we call $S$ a zero forcing set of $G$. $Z(G)$ denotes the minimum cardinality of a zero forcing set. Davila and Henning proved in \cite{zerocubic} that for any claw…
An L-factor of a graph G is a spanning subgraph of G whose every component is a 3-vertex path. Let v(G) be the number of vertices of G and d(G) the domination number of G. A claw is a graph with four vertices and three edges incident to the same vertex. A graph is claw-free if it has no induced subgraph isomorphic to a claw. Our results include the following. Let G be a 3-connected claw-free graph, x a vertex in G, e = xy an edge in G, and P a 3-vertex path in G. Then (a1) if v(G) = 0 mod 3, then G has an L-factor containing (avoiding) e, (a2) if v(G) = 1 mod 3, then G - x has an L-factor, (a3…
A dynamic coloring of the vertices of a graph $G$ starts with an initial subset $S$ of colored vertices, with all remaining vertices being non-colored. At each discrete time interval, a colored vertex with exactly one non-colored neighbor forces this non-colored neighbor to be colored. The initial set $S$ is called a forcing set (zero forcing set) of $G$ if, by iteratively applying the forcing process, every vertex in $G$ becomes colored. If the initial set $S$ has the added property that it induces a subgraph of $G$ without isolated vertices, then $S$ is called a total forcing set in $G$. The…
An L-factor of a graph G is a spanning subgraph of G whose every component is a 3-vertex path. Let v(G) denote the number of vertices of G. A graph is called claw-free if it does not have a subgraph isomorphic to the graph with 4 vertices and 3 edges having a common vertex. Our results include the following. Let G$ be a 3-connected claw-free graph, x be a vertex, e = xy be an edge, and P be a 3-vertex path in G. Then (c1) if v(G) = 0 mod 3, then G has an L-factor containing (avoiding) e, (c2) if v(G) = 1 mod 3, then G - x has a L-factor, (c3) if v(G) = 2 mod 3, then G - x -y has an L-factor, (…
Hoffmann-Ostenhof's Conjecture states that the edge set of every connected cubic graph can be decomposed into a spanning tree, a matching and a $2$-regular subgraph. In this paper, we show that the conjecture holds for claw-free subcubic graphs and $4$-chordal subcubic graphs.
An axis parallel $d$-dimensional box is the Cartesian product $R_1 \times R_2 \times ... \times R_d$ where each $R_i$ is a closed interval on the real line. The {\it boxicity} of a graph $G$, denoted as $\boxi(G)$, is the minimum integer $d$ such that $G$ can be represented as the intersection graph of a collection of $d$-dimensional boxes. An axis parallel unit cube in $d$-dimensional space or a $d$-cube is defined as the Cartesian product $R_1 \times R_2 \times ... \times R_d$ where each $R_i$ is a closed interval on the real line of the form $[a_i,a_i + 1]$. The {\it cubicity} of $G$, denot…
The Erdős-Gyárfás conjecture states that every graph with minimum degree at least three has a cycle whose length is a power of 2. Since this conjecture has proven to be far from reach, Hobbs asked if the Erdős-Gyárfás conjecture holds in claw-free graphs. In this paper, we obtain some results on this question, in particular for cubic claw-free graphs.
In this paper, we consider the following problem: given a connected graph $G$, can we reduce the domination number of $G$ by one by using only one edge contraction? We show that the problem is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard when restricted to $\{P_6,P_4+P_2\}$-free graphs and that it is $\mathsf{coNP}$-hard when restricted to subcubic claw-free graphs and $2P_3$-free graphs. As a consequence, we are able to establish a complexity dichotomy for the problem on $H$-free graphs when $H$ is connected.
Let $G(V,E)$ be a simple, undirected graph where $V$ is the set of vertices and $E$ is the set of edges. A $b$-dimensional cube is a Cartesian product $I_1\times I_2\times...\times I_b$, where each $I_i$ is a closed interval of unit length on the real line. The \emph{cubicity} of $G$, denoted by $\cub(G)$ is the minimum positive integer $b$ such that the vertices in $G$ can be mapped to axis parallel $b$-dimensional cubes in such a way that two vertices are adjacent in $G$ if and only if their assigned cubes intersect. Suppose $S(m)$ denotes a star graph on $m+1$ nodes. We define \emph{claw nu…
Let $G$ be a graph. A total dominating set of $G$ is a set $S$ of vertices of $G$ such that every vertex is adjacent to at least one vertex in $S$. The total domatic number of a graph is the maximum number of total dominating sets which partition the vertex set of $G$. In this paper we would like to characterize the cubic graphs with total domatic number at least two.
A locating-dominating set is a subset of vertices representing "detectors" in a graph G; each detector monitors its closed neighborhood and can distinguish its own location from its neighbors, and given all sensor input, the system can locate an "intruder" anywhere in the graph. We explore a fault-tolerant variant of locating-dominating sets, error-correcting locating-dominating (ERR:LD) sets, which can tolerate an incorrect signal from a single detector. In particular, we characterize error-correcting locating-dominating sets, and derive its existence criteria. We also prove that the problem …
Let $γ_g(G)$ be the game domination number of a graph $G$. Rall conjectured that if $G$ is a traceable graph, then $γ_g(G) \le \left\lceil \frac{1}{2}n(G)\right\rceil$. Our main result verifies the conjecture over the class of line graphs. Moreover, in this paper we put forward the conjecture that if $δ(G) \geq 2$, then $γ_g(G) \leq \left\lceil \frac{1}{2}n(G) \right\rceil$. We show that both conjectures hold true for claw-free cubic graphs. We further prove the upper bound $γ_g(G) \le \left\lceil \frac{11}{20} \, n(G) \right\rceil$ over the class of claw-free graphs of minimum degree at least…
The power domination problem focuses on finding the optimal placement of phase measurement units (PMUs) to monitor an electrical power network. In the context of graphs, the power domination number of a graph $G$, denoted $γ_P(G)$, is the minimum number of vertices needed to observe every vertex in the graph according to a specific set of observation rules. In \cite{ZKC_cubic}, Zhao et al. proved that if $G$ is a connected claw-free cubic graph of order $n$, then $γ_P(G) \leq n/4$. In this paper, we show that if $G$ is a claw-free diamond-free cubic graph of order $n$, then $γ_P(G) \le n/6$, a…
Let G be a simple undirected graph with no isolated vertex. A paired dominating set of G is a dominating set which induces a subgraph that has a perfect matching. The paired domination number of G, denoted by γpr(G), is the size of its smallest paired dominating set. Goddard and Henning conjectured that γpr(G) {\leq} 4n/7 holds for every graph G with δ(G) {\geq} 3, except the Petersen Graph. In this paper, we prove this conjecture for cubic graphs.
The coalition in a graph $G$ consists of two disjoint sets of vertices $V_{1}$ and $V_{2}$, neither of which is a dominating set but whose union $V_{1}\cup V_{2}$, is a dominating set. A coalition partition in a graph $G$ is a vertex partition $π$ = $\{V_1, V_2,..., V_k \}$ such that every set $V_i \in π$ is not a dominating set but forms a coalition with another set $V_j\in π$ which is not a dominating set. The coalition number $C(G)$ equals the maximum $k$ of a coalition partition of $G$. In this paper, we compute the coalition number of all cubic graphs of order at most $10$.
A subset $D$ of vertices of a graph $G$ is a \textit{dominating set} if for each $u\in V(G)\setminus D$, $u$ is adjacent to some vertex $v\in D$. The \textit{dominating number}, $γ(G)$ of $G$, is the minimum cardinality of a dominating set of $G$. A set $D\subseteq V(G)$ is a \textit{total dominating set} if for each $u\in V(G)$, $u$ is adjacent to some vertex $v\in D$. the The \textit{total dominating number}, $γ_t(G)$ of $G$, is the minimum cardinality of a total dominating set of $G$. For an even integer $n\ge2$ and $1\leΔ\le\lfloor\log_2n\rfloor$, a \textit{Knödel graph} $W_{Δ,n}$ is a $Δ$…
A set $S\subseteq V(G)$ of a graph $G$ is a dominating set if each vertex has a neighbor in $S$ or belongs to $S$. Let $γ(G)$ be the cardinality of a minimum dominating set in $G$. The bondage number $b(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the smallest cardinality of a set of edges $A\subseteq E(G)$, such that $γ(G-A)=γ(G)+1$. The $d$-Bondage is the problem of deciding, given a graph $G$ and an integer $d\geq 1$, if $b(G)\leq d$. This problem is known to be $\mathsf{NP}$-hard even for bipartite graphs and $d=1$. In this paper, we show that $1$-Bondage is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard, even for the class of $3$-regular …
Graph energy and Domination in graphs are most studied areas of graph theory. In this paper we made an attempt to connect these two areas of graph theory by introducing c-dominating energy of a graph $G$. First, we show the chemical applications of c-dominating energy with the help of well known statistical tools. Next, we obtain mathematical properties of c-dominating energy. Finally, we characterize trees, unicyclic graphs, cubic and block graphs with equal dominating and c-dominating energy.
A set $S$ of vertices in a graph $G$ is a dominating set if every vertex not in $S$ is adjacent to a vertex in $S$. If, in addition, $S$ is an independent set, then $S$ is an independent dominating set. The independent domination number $i(G)$ of $G$ is the minimum cardinality of an independent dominating set in $G$. In 2013 Goddard and Henning [Discrete Math 313 (2013), 839--854] conjectured that if $G$ is a connected cubic graph of order $n$, then $i(G) \le \frac{3}{8}n$, except if $G$ is the complete bipartite graph $K_{3,3}$ or the $5$-prism $C_5 \, \Box \, K_2$. Further they construct two…
If $G$ and $H$ are two cubic graphs, then an $H$-coloring of $G$ is a proper edge-coloring $f$ with edges of $H$, such that for each vertex $x$ of $G$, there is a vertex $y$ of $H$ with $f(\partial_G(x))=\partial_H(y)$. If $G$ admits an $H$-coloring, then we will write $H\prec G$. The Petersen coloring conjecture of Jaeger states that for any bridgeless cubic graph $G$, one has: $P\prec G$. The second author has recently introduced the Sylvester coloring conjecture, which states that for any cubic graph $G$ one has: $S\prec G$. Here $S$ is the Sylvester graph on $10$ vertices. In this paper, w…
In an edge-coloring of a cubic graph, an edge is poor or rich, if the set of colors assigned to the edge and the four edges adjacent it, has exactly five or exactly three distinct colors, respectively. An edge is normal in an edge-coloring if it is rich or poor in this coloring. A normal $k$-edge-coloring of a cubic graph is an edge-coloring with $k$ colors such that each edge of the graph is normal. We denote by $χ'_{N}(G)$ the smallest $k$, for which $G$ admits a normal $k$-edge-coloring. Normal edge-colorings were introduced by Jaeger in order to study his well-known Petersen Coloring Conje…
The circumference $c(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the length of a longest cycle. By exploiting our recent results on resistance of snarks, we construct infinite classes of cyclically $4$-, $5$- and $6$-edge-connected cubic graphs with circumference ratio $c(G)/|V(G)|$ bounded from above by $0.876$, $0.960$ and $0.990$, respectively. In contrast, the dominating cycle conjecture implies that the circumference ratio of a cyclically $4$-edge-connected cubic graph is at least $0.75$. In addition, we construct snarks with large girth and large circumference deficit, solving Problem 1 proposed in [J. Hägglu…
A dominating set of a graph $G$ is a set $D$ of vertices of $G$ such that every vertex outside $D$ is adjacent to a vertex in $D$. A locating-dominating set of $G$ is a dominating set $D$ of $G$ with the additional property that every two distinct vertices outside $D$ have distinct neighbors in $D$; that is, for distinct vertices $u$ and $v$ outside $D$, $N(u) \cap D \neq N(v) \cap D$ where $N(u)$ denotes the open neighborhood of $u$. A graph is twin-free if every two distinct vertices have distinct open and closed neighborhoods. The location-domination number of $G$, denoted $γ_L(G)$, is the …
A set $D$ of vertices in $G$ is a disjunctive dominating set in $G$ if every vertex not in $D$ is adjacent to a vertex of $D$ or has at least two vertices in $D$ at distance $2$ from it in $G$. The disjunctive domination number, $γ^{d}_2(G)$, of $G$ is the minimum cardinality of a disjunctive dominating set in $G$. In this paper, we show that if $G$ be a graph of order at least $3$, $δ(G)\geq 2$ and with no component isomorphic to any of eight forbidden graphs, then $γ^{d}_2(G)\leq \frac{|G|}{3}$. Moreover, we provide an infinite family of graphs attaining this bound. In addition, we also stud…
A subset $S\subseteq V$ in a graph $G=(V,E)$ is a $k$-quasiperfect dominating set (for $k\geq 1$) if every vertex not in $S$ is adjacent to at least one and at most $k$ vertices in $S$. The cardinality of a minimum $k$-quasiperfect dominating set in $G$ is denoted by $γ_ {\stackrel{}{1k}}(G)$. Those sets were first introduced by Chellali et al. (2013) as a generalization of the perfect domination concept and allow us to construct a decreasing chain of quasiperfect dominating numbers $ n \ge γ_ {\stackrel{}{11}}(G) \ge γ_ {\stackrel{}{12}}(G)\ge \ldots \ge γ_ {\stackrel{}{1Δ}}(G)=γ(G)$ in order…
If $G$ and $H$ are two cubic graphs, then an $H$-coloring of $G$ is a proper edge-coloring $f$ with edges of $H$, such that for each vertex $x$ of $G$, there is a vertex $y$ of $H$ with $f(\partial_G(x))=\partial_H(y)$. If $G$ admits an $H$-coloring, then we will write $H\prec G$. The Petersen coloring conjecture of Jaeger ($P_{10}$-conjecture) states that for any bridgeless cubic graph $G$, one has: $P_{10}\prec G$. The Sylvester coloring conjecture ($S_{10}$-conjecture) states that for any cubic graph $G$, $S_{10}\prec G$. In this paper, we introduce two new conjectures that are related to t…
