For a given graph $H$, the Ramsey number $r(H)$ is the minimum $N$ such that any 2-edge-coloring of the complete graph $K_N$ yields a monochromatic copy of $H$. Given a positive integer $n$, a \emph{fan }$F_n$ is a graph formed by $n$ triangles that share one common vertex. We show that ${9n}/{2}-5\le r(F_n)\le {11n}/{2} + 6$ for any $n$. This improves previous best bounds $r(F_n) \le 6n$ of Lin and Li and $r(F_n) \ge 4n+2$ of Zhang, Broersma and Chen.
A fan $F_n$ is a graph consisting of $n$ triangles, all having precisely one common vertex. Currently, the best known bounds for the Ramsey number $R(F_n)$ are $9n/2-5 \leq R(F_n) \leq 11n/2+6$, obtained by Chen, Yu and Zhao. We improve the upper bound to $31n/6+O(1)$.
Given a graph $G$ and a positive integer $k$, define the \emph{Gallai-Ramsey number} to be the minimum number of vertices $n$ such that any $k$-edge coloring of $K_n$ contains either a rainbow (all different colored) triangle or a monochromatic copy of $G$. In this paper, we obtain general upper and lower bounds on the Gallai-Ramsey numbers for fans $F_{m} = K_{1} + mK_{2}$ and prove the sharp result for $m = 2$ and for $m = 3$ with $k$ even.
For graphs $F$ and $H$, the Ramsey number $R(F, H)$ is the smallest positive integer $N$ such that any red/blue edge coloring of $K_N$ contains either a red $F$ or a blue $H$. Let $C_n$ be a cycle of length $n$ and $F_n$ be a fan consisting of $n$ triangles all sharing a common vertex. In this paper, we prove that for all sufficiently large $n$, \[ R(C_{2\lfloor an\rfloor}, F_n)= \left\{ \begin{array}{ll} (2+2a+o(1))n & \textrm{if $1/2\leq a< 1$,}\\ (4a+o(1))n & \textrm{if $ a\geq 1$.} \end{array} \right. \]
For two graphs $G$ and $H$, let $r(G,H)$ and $r_*(G,H)$ denote the Ramsey number and star-critical Ramsey number of $G$ versus $H$, respectively. In 1996, Li and Rousseau proved that $r(K_{m},F_{t,n})=tn(m-1)+1$ for $m\geq 3$ and sufficiently large $n$, where $F_{t,n}=K_{1}+nK_{t}$. Recently, Hao and Lin proved that $r(K_{3},F_{3,n})=6n+1$ for $n\geq 3$ and $r_{\ast}(K_{3},F_{3,n})=3n+3$ for $n\geq 4$. In this paper, we show that $r(K_{m}, sF_{t,n})=tn(m+s-2)+s$ for sufficiently large $n$ and, in particular, $r(K_{3}, sF_{t,n})=tn(s+1)+s$ for $t\in\{3,4\},n\geq t$ and $s\geq1$. We also show th…
The generalized Ramsey number $R(H, K)$ is the smallest positive integer $n$ such that for any graph $G$ with $n$ vertices either $G$ contains $H$ as a subgraph or its complement $\overline{G}$ contains $K$ as a subgraph. Let $T_n$ be a tree with $n$ vertices and $F_m$ be a fan with $2m + 1$ vertices consisting of $m$ triangles sharing a common vertex. We prove a conjecture of Zhang, Broersma and Chen for $m \ge 9$ that $R(T_n, F_m) = 2n - 1$ for all $n \ge m^2 - m + 1$. Zhang, Broersma and Chen showed that $R(S_n, F_m) \ge 2n$ for $n \le m^2 -m$ where $S_n$ is a star on $n$ vertices, implying…
For two given graphs $F$ and $H$, the Ramsey number $R(F,H)$ is the smallest integer $N$ such that any red-blue edge-coloring of the complete graph $K_N$ contains a red $F$ or a blue $H$. When $F=H$, we simply write $R_2(H)$. For an positive integer $n$, let $K_{1,n}$ be a star with $n+1$ vertices, $F_n$ be a fan with $2n+1$ vertices consisting of $n$ triangles sharing one common vertex, and $nK_3$ be a graph with $3n$ vertices obtained from the disjoint union of $n$ triangles. In 1975, Burr, Erdős and Spencer \cite{B} proved that $R_2(nK_3)=5n$ for $n\ge2$. However, determining the exact valu…
A recent breakthrough of Conlon and Ferber yielded an exponential improvement on the lower bounds for multicolor diagonal Ramsey numbers. In this note, we modify their construction and obtain improved bounds for more than three colors.
The multicolor Ramsey number problem asks, for each pair of natural numbers $\ell$ and $t$, for the largest $\ell$-coloring of a complete graph with no monochromatic clique of size $t$. Recent works of Conlon-Ferber and Wigderson have improved the longstanding lower bound for this problem. We make a further improvement by replacing an explicit graph appearing in their constructions by a random graph. Graphs useful for this construction are exactly those relevant for a problem of Erdős on graphs with no large cliques and few large independent sets. We also make some basic observations about thi…
It was previously shown that any two-colour colouring of K(C_n) must contain a monochromatic planar K_4 subgraph for n >= N^*, where 6 <= N^* <= N and N is Graham's number. The bound was later improved to 11 <= N^* <= N. In this article, it is improved to 13 <= N^* <= N.
Circulant graphs have been used to effectively establish lower bounds on many classical Ramsey numbers. Here, we construct circulant graphs of prime order that sharpen the best published lower bounds on two Ramsey numbers. Generalizing previous work in which quadratic and cubic residues were used to construct circulant graphs for the same purpose, we report on the use of quartic and higher-order residues.
The two-colour Ramsey number $R(m,n)$ is the least natural number $p$ such that any graph of order $p$ must contain either a clique of size $m$ or an independent set of size $n$. We exhibit a method for computing upper bounds for $R(m,n)$ recursively, using known upper bounds of $R(\cdot,\cdot)$ with lower values for at least one of the arguments. We also give an example of how this method could be used to improve several of the best known bounds that are available in the literature (which however soon will be obsolete due to a forthcoming work).
The Erdős-Gyárfás number $f(n, p, q)$ is the smallest number of colors needed to color the edges of the complete graph $K_n$ so that all of its $p$-clique spans at least $q$ colors. In this paper we improve the best known upper bound on $f(n, p, q)$ for many fixed values of $p, q$ and large $n$. Our proof uses a randomized coloring process, which we analyze using the so-called differential equation method to establish dynamic concentration.
We study the multicolor Ramsey numbers for paths and even cycles, $R_k(P_n)$ and $R_k(C_n)$, which are the smallest integers $N$ such that every coloring of the complete graph $K_N$ has a monochromatic copy of $P_n$ or $C_n$ respectively. For a long time, $R_k(P_n)$ has only been known to lie between $(k-1+o(1))n$ and $(k + o(1))n$. A recent breakthrough by Sárközy and later improvement by Davies, Jenssen and Roberts give an upper bound of $(k - \frac{1}{4} + o(1))n$. We improve the upper bound to $(k - \frac{1}{2}+ o(1))n$. Our approach uses structural insights in connected graphs without a l…
For a positive integer $r$, let $G(r)$ be the smallest $N$ such that, whenever the edges of the Cartesian product $K_N \times K_N$ are $r$-coloured, then there is a rectangle in which both pairs of opposite edges receive the same colour. In this paper, we improve the upper bounds on $G(r)$ by proving $G(r) \leq \Big(1 - \frac{1}{128}r^{-2}\Big) r^{\binom{r+1}{2}}$, for $r$ large enough. Unlike the previous improvements, which were based on bounds for the size of set systems with restricted intersection sizes, our proof is a form of a quasirandomness argument.
Let $\mathcal{O}_n$ be the set of all maximal outerplanar graphs of order $n$. Let $ar(\mathcal{O}_n,F)$ denote the maximum positive integer $k$ such that $T\in \mathcal{O}_n$ has no rainbow subgraph $F$ under a $k$-edge-coloring of $T$. Denote by $M_k$ a matching of size $k$. In this paper, we prove that $ar(\mathcal{O}_n,M_k)\le n+4k-9$ for $n\ge3k-3$, which expressively improves the existing upper bound for $ar(\mathcal{O}_n,M_k)$. We also prove that $ar(\mathcal{O}_n,M_5)=n+4$ for all $n\ge 15$.
The 3-uniform tight cycle $C_s^3$ has vertex set $ Z_s$ and edge set $\{\{i, i+1, i+2\}: i \in Z_s\}$. We prove that for every $s \not\equiv 0$ (mod 3) and $s \ge 16$ or $s \in \{8,11,14\}$ there is a $c_s>0$ such that the 3-uniform hypergraph Ramsey number $$r(C_s^3, K_n^3)< 2^{c_s n \log n}$$ This answers in strong form a question of the author and Rödl who asked for an upper bound of the form $2^{n^{1+ε_s}}$ for each fixed $s \ge 4$, where $ε_s \rightarrow 0$ as $s \rightarrow \infty$ and $n$ is sufficiently large. The result is nearly tight as the lower bound is known to be exponential in …
This paper sets out the results of a range of searches for linear and cyclic graph colourings with specific Ramsey properties. The new graphs comprise mainly 'template graphs' which can be used in a construction described by the current author in 2021 to build linear or cyclic compound graphs with inherited Ramsey properties. These graphs result in improved lower bounds for a wide range of multicolour Ramsey numbers. Searches were carried out using relatively simple programs (written in the language `C') to generate clauses for input to the PeneLoPe and Plingeling parallel SAT-solvers. When so…
Much recent progress in hypergraph Ramsey theory has focused on constructions that lead to lower bounds for the corresponding Ramsey numbers. In this paper, we consider applications of these results to Gallai colorings. That is, we focus on the Ramsey numbers resulting from only considering $t$-colorings of the hyperedges of complete $r$-uniform hypergraphs in which no rainbow $K_{r+1}^{(r)}$-subhypergraphs exists. We also provide new constructions which imply improved lower bounds for many $3$ and $4$-uniform Ramsey numbers and $3$ and $4$-uniform Gallai-Ramsey numbers.
Ramsey, Erdos-Rado, and Conlon-Fox-Sudakov have given proofs of the 3-hypergraph Ramsey Theorem with better and better upper bounds on the 3-hypergraph Ramsey Number. Ramsey and Erdos-Rado also prove the a-hypergraph Ramsey Theorem. Conlon-Fox-Sudakov note that their upper bounds on the 3-hypergraph Ramsey Numbers, together with a recurrence of Erdos-Rado (which was the key to the Erdos-Rado proof), yield improved bounds on the a-hypergraph Ramsey numbers. We present all of these proofs and state explicit bounds for the 2-color case and the c-color case. We give a more detailed analysis of the…
A Gallai coloring of a complete graph is an edge-coloring such that no triangle has all its edges colored differently. A Gallai $k$-coloring is a Gallai coloring that uses $k$ colors. Given an integer $k\ge1$ and a graph $H$, the Gallai-Ramsey number $GR_k(H)$ is the least positive integer $n$ such that every Gallai $k$-coloring of the complete graph $K_n$ contains a monochromatic copy of $H$. Gyárfás, Sárközy, Sebő and Selkow proved in 2010 that $GR_k (H) $ is exponential in $k$ if $H$ is not bipartite, linear in $k$ if $H$ is bipartite but not a star, and constant (does not depend on $k$) wh…
Several discrete geometry problems are equivalent to estimating the size of the largest homogeneous sets in graphs that happen to be the union of few comparability graphs. An important observation for such results is that if $G$ is an $n$-vertex graph that is the union of $r$ comparability (or more generally, perfect) graphs, then either $G$ or its complement contains a clique of size $n^{1/(r+1)}$. This bound is known to be tight for $r=1$. The question whether it is optimal for $r\ge 2$ was studied by Dumitrescu and Tóth. We prove that it is essentially best possible for $r=2$, as well: we i…
We prove new upper bounds on the multicolour Ramsey numbers of paths and even cycles. It is well known that $(k-1)n+o(n)\leq R_k(P_n)\leq R_k(C_n)\leq kn+o(n)$. The upper bound was recently improved by Sárközy who showed that $R_k(C_n)\leq\left(k-\frac{k}{16k^3+1}\right)n+o(n)$. Here we show $R_k(C_n) \leq (k-\frac14)n +o(n)$, obtaining the first improvement to the coefficient of the linear term by an absolute constant.
We consider following geometric Ramsey problem: find the least dimension $n$ such that for any 2-coloring of edges of complete graph on the points $\{\pm 1\}^n$ there exists 4-vertex coplanar monochromatic clique. Problem was first analyzed by Graham and Rothschild and they gave an upper bound: $n\le F(F(F(F(F(F(F(12)))))))$, where $F(m) = 2\uparrow^m3$. In 2014 Lavrov, Lee and Mackey greatly improved this result by giving upper bound $n< 2\uparrow\uparrow\uparrow 6 < F(5)$. In this paper we revisit their estimates and reduce upper bound to $n< 2\uparrow\uparrow\uparrow 5$
Since 2002, the best known upper bound on the Ramsey numbers R n (3) = R(3,. .. , 3) is R n (3) $\le$ n!(e -- 1/6) + 1 for all n $\ge$ 4. It is based on the current estimate R 4 (3) $\le$ 62. We show here how any closing-in on R 4 (3) yields an improved upper bound on R n (3) for all n $\ge$ 4. For instance, with our present adaptive bound, the conjectured value R 4 (3) = 51 implies R n (3) $\le$ n!(e -- 5/8) + 1 for all n $\ge$ 4.
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…
In his 1947 paper that inaugurated the probabilistic method, Erdős proved the existence of $2\log{n}$-Ramsey graphs on $n$ vertices. Matching Erdős' result with a constructive proof is a central problem in combinatorics, that has gained a significant attention in the literature. The state of the art result was obtained in the celebrated paper by Barak, Rao, Shaltiel and Wigderson [Ann. Math'12], who constructed a $2^{2^{(\log\log{n})^{1-α}}}$-Ramsey graph, for some small universal constant $α> 0$. In this work, we significantly improve the result of Barak~\etal and construct $2^{(\log\log{n})^…
Let $Q_n$ be the poset that consists of all subsets of a fixed $n$-element set, ordered by set inclusion. The poset cube Ramsey number $R(Q_n,Q_n)$ is defined as the least $m$ such that any 2-coloring of the elements of $Q_m$ admits a monochromatic copy of $Q_n$. The trivial lower bound $R(Q_n,Q_n)\ge 2n$ was improved by Cox and Stolee, who showed $R(Q_n,Q_n)\ge 2n+1$ for $3\le n\le 8$ and $n\ge 13$ using a probabilistic existence proof. In this paper, we provide an explicit construction that establishes $R(Q_n,Q_n)\ge 2n+1$ for all $n\ge 3$. The best known upper bound, due to Lu and Thompson,…
A construction described by the current author in 2017 uses two linear `prototype' graphs to build a compound graph with Ramsey properties inherited from the prototypes. This paper describes a generalisation of that construction which has produced improved lower bounds in many cases for multicolour Ramsey numbers. The resulting graphs are linear, as before, and under certain specific conditions set out here, they can be cyclic. The mechanism of the new construction requires that the first prototype contains a triangle-free `template' in one colour, with defined properties. This paper shows tha…
The Hales--Jewett theorem is one of the pillars of Ramsey theory, from which many other results follow. A celebrated theorem of Shelah says that Hales--Jewett numbers are primitive recursive. A key tool used in his proof, now known as the cube lemma, has become famous in its own right. In its simplest form, this lemma says that if we color the edges of the Cartesian product $K_n \times K_n$ in $r$ colors then, for $n$ sufficiently large, there is a rectangle with both pairs of opposite edges receiving the same color. Shelah's proof shows that $n = r^{\binom{r+1}{2}} + 1$ suffices. More than tw…
A $(p,q)$-coloring of a graph $G$ is an edge-coloring of $G$ which assigns at least $q$ colors to each $p$-clique. The problem of determining the minimum number of colors, $f(n,p,q)$, needed to give a $(p,q)$-coloring of the complete graph $K_n$ is a natural generalization of the well-known problem of identifying the diagonal Ramsey numbers $r_k(p)$. The best-known general upper bound on $f(n,p,q)$ was given by Erdős and Gyárfás in 1997 using a probabilistic argument. Since then, improved bounds in the cases where $p=q$ have been obtained only for $p\in\{4,5\}$, each of which was proved by giv…
The lower bound for the classical Ramsey number R(4, 8) is improved from 56 to 58. The author has found a new edge coloring of K_{57} that has no complete graphs of order 4 in the first color, and no complete graphs of order 8 in the second color. The coloring was found using a SAT solver which is based on MiniSat and customized for solving Ramsey problems.
The poset Ramsey number $R(Q_m,Q_n)$ is the smallest integer $N$ such that any blue-red coloring of the elements of the Boolean lattice $Q_N$ has a blue induced copy of $Q_m$ or a red induced copy of $Q_n$. The weak poset Ramsey number $R_w(Q_m,Q_n)$ is defined analogously, with weak copies instead of induced copies. It is easy to see that $R(Q_m,Q_n) \ge R_w(Q_m,Q_n)$. Axenovich and Walzer showed that $n+2 \le R(Q_2,Q_n) \le 2n+2$. Recently, Lu and Thompson improved the upper bound to $\frac{5}{3}n+2$. In this paper, we solve this problem asymptotically by showing that $R(Q_2,Q_n)=n+O(n/\log …
Let $Δ_s=R(K_3,K_s)-R(K_3,K_{s-1})$, where $R(G,H)$ is the Ramsey number of graphs $G$ and $H$ defined as the smallest $n$ such that any edge coloring of $K_n$ with two colors contains $G$ in the first color or $H$ in the second color. In 1980, Erdős and Sós posed some questions about the growth of $Δ_s$. The best known concrete bounds on $Δ_s$ are $3 \le Δ_s \le s$, and they have not improved since the stating of the problem. In this paper we present some constructions, which imply in particular that $R(K_3,K_s) \ge R(K_3,K_{s-1}-e) + 4$. This does not improve the lower bound of 3 on $Δ_s$, b…
