The smallest eigenvalue of a graph is the smallest eigenvalue of its adjacency matrix. We show that the family of graphs with smallest eigenvalue at least $-λ$ can be defined by a finite set of forbidden induced subgraphs if and only if $λ< λ^*$, where $λ^* = ρ^{1/2} + ρ^{-1/2} \approx 2.01980$, and $ρ$ is the unique real root of $x^3 = x + 1$. This resolves a question raised by Bussemaker and Neumaier. As a byproduct, we find all the limit points of smallest eigenvalues of graphs, supplementing Hoffman's work on those limit points in $[-2, \infty)$.
We also prove that the same conclusion about forbidden subgraph characterization holds for signed graphs. Our impetus for the study of signed graphs is to determine the maximum cardinality of a spherical two-distance set with two fixed angles (one acute and one obtuse) in high dimensions. Denote by $N_{α, β}(n)$ the maximum number of unit vectors in $\mathbb{R}^d$ where all pairwise inner products lie in $\{α, β\}$ with $-1 \le β< 0 \le α< 1$. Very recently Jiang, Tidor, Yao, Zhang and Zhao determined the limit of $N_{α, β}(d)/d$ as $d\to\infty$ when $α+ 2β< 0$ or $(1-α)/(α-β) \in \{1,\sqrt2,\sqrt3\}$, and they proposed a conjecture on the limit in terms of eigenvalue multiplicities of signed graphs. We establish their conjecture whenever $(1-α)/(α- β) < λ^*$.
In this paper we show that the conjecture of Lemmens and Seidel of 1973 for systems of equiangular lines with common angle $\arccos (1/5)$ is true. Our main tool is forbidden subgraphs for smallest Seidel eigenvalue $-5$.
In this paper we extend a result about a sufficient condition for Hamiltonicity for finite graphs by Broersma and Veldmann to locally finite graphs. In order to do this we use topological circles within the Freudenthal compactification of a locally finite graph as infinite cycles. The condition we focus on in this paper is in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs, namely being claw-free and a relaxation of being paw-free.
A graph $G$ is $H$-free if it has no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$, where $H$ is a graph. In this paper, we show that every $\frac{3}{2}$-tough $(P_4 \cup P_{10})$-free graph has a 2-factor. The toughness condition of this result is sharp. Moreover, for any $\varepsilon>0$ there exists a $(2-\varepsilon)$-tough $2P_5$-free graph without a 2-factor. This implies that the graph $P_4 \cup P_{10}$ is best possible for a forbidden subgraph in a sense.
Minimal separators in graphs are an important concept in algorithmic graph theory. In particular, many problems that are NP-hard for general graphs are known to become polynomial-time solvable for classes of graphs with a polynomially bounded number of minimal separators. Several well-known graph classes have this property, including chordal graphs, permutation graphs, circular-arc graphs, and circle graphs. We perform a systematic study of the question which classes of graphs defined by small forbidden induced subgraphs have a polynomially bounded number of minimal separators. We focus on set…
We prove that $\{\overline{K_3}, H\}$-free graphs are not counterexamples to Hadwiger's Conjecture, where $H$ is any one of 33 graphs on seven, eight, or nine vertices, or $H=K_8$. This improves on past results of Plummer-Stiebitz-Toft, Kriesell, and Bosse. The proofs are mostly computer-assisted.
We prove a conjecture by Aboulker, Charbit and Naserasr by showing that every oriented graph in which the out-neighborhood of every vertex induces a transitive tournament can be partitioned into two acyclic induced subdigraphs. We prove multiple extensions of this result to larger classes of digraphs defined by a finite list of forbidden induced subdigraphs. We thereby resolve several special cases of an extension of the famous Gyárfás-Sumner conjecture to directed graphs by Aboulker et al.
Fix $k \ge 2$ and let $H$ be a graph with $χ(H) = k+1$ containing a critical edge. We show that for sufficiently large $n$, the unique $n$-vertex $H$-free graph containing the maximum number of cycles is $T_k(n)$. This resolves both a question and a conjecture of Arman, Gunderson and Tsaturian.
Reed Conjecture is open for more than 20 years now. Here we prove that Reed Conjecture is valid for (1) {P4UnionK1, Kite}-free graphs (2) {Chair, Kite}-free graphs (3) {K2UnionK2complement , H}-free graphs and (4) {2K2, M}-free graphs where H and M are graphs on six vertices each. Reed conjecture is still open in general.
In a series of papers, of which this is the first, we study sufficient conditions for Hamiltonicity in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs and extend such results to locally finite infinite graphs. For this we use topological circles within the Freudenthal compactification of a locally finite graph as infinite cycles. In this paper we focus on conditions involving claws, nets and bulls as induced subgraphs. We extend Hamiltonicity results for finite claw-free and net-free graphs by Shepherd to locally finite graphs. Moreover, we generalise a classification of finite claw-free and net-free gra…
The spectral radius of a graph is the largest eigenvalue of its adjacency matrix. Let $\mathcal{F}(λ)$ be the family of connected graphs of spectral radius $\le λ$. We show that $\mathcal{F}(λ)$ can be defined by a finite set of forbidden subgraphs if and only if $λ< λ^* := \sqrt{2+\sqrt{5}} \approx 2.058$ and $λ\not\in \{α_2, α_3, \dots\}$, where $α_m = β_m^{1/2} + β_m^{-1/2}$ and $β_m$ is the largest root of $x^{m+1}=1+x+\dots+x^{m-1}$. The study of forbidden subgraphs characterization for $\mathcal{F}(λ)$ is motivated by the problem of estimating the maximum cardinality of equiangular lines…
For a bipartite graph G, let h(G) be the largest t such that either G or the bipartite complement of G contain K_{t,t}. For a class F of graphs, let h(F)= min {h(G): G\in F}. We say that a bipartite graph H is strongly acyclic if neither H nor its bipartite complement contain a cycle. By Forb(n, H) we denote a set of bipartite graphs with parts of sizes n each, that do not contain H as an induced bipartite subgraph respecting the sides. One can easily show that h(Forb(n,H))= O(n^{1-s}) for a positive s if H is not strongly acyclic. Here, we prove that h(Forb(n, H)) is linear in n for all stron…
Motivated in part by an observation that the zero forcing number for the complement of a tree on $n$ vertices is either $n-3$ or $n-1$ in one exceptional case, we consider the zero forcing number for the complement of more general graphs under some conditions, particularly those that do not contain complete bipartite subgraphs. We also move well beyond trees and completely study all of the possible zero forcing numbers for the complements of unicyclic graphs and cactus graphs.
A homogeneous set of a graph $G$ is a set $X$ of vertices such that $2\le \lvert X\rvert <\lvert V(G)\rvert$ and no vertex in $V(G)-X$ has both a neighbor and a non-neighbor in $X$. A graph is prime if it has no homogeneous set. We present an algorithm to decide whether a class of graphs given by a finite set of forbidden induced subgraphs contains infinitely many non-isomorphic prime graphs.
Problem of finding an optimal upper bound for the chromatic no. of a graph is still open and very hard. Borodin and Kostochka Conjecture is still open and if proved will improve Brook bound on Chromatic no. of a graph. Here we prove Borodin & Kostochka Conjecture for (1) (P4 Union K1)-free (2) P5-free (3) Chair-free graphs and 4) graphs with dense neighbourhoods. Certain known results follow as Corollaries.
It is known that the class of all graphs not containing a graph $H$ as an induced subgraph is cop-bounded if and only if $H$ is a forest whose every component is a path. In this study, we characterize all sets $\mathscr{H}$ of graphs with some $k\in \mathbb{N}$ bounding the diameter of members of $\mathscr{H}$ from above, such that $\mathscr{H}$-free graphs, i.e. graphs with no member of $\mathscr{H}$ as an induced subgraph, are cop-bounded. This, in particular, gives a characterization of cop-bounded classes of graphs defined by a finite set of connected graphs as forbidden induced subgraphs.…
The NP-hard problem of correlation clustering is to partition a signed graph such that the number of conflicts between the partition and the signature of the graph is minimized. This paper studies graph signatures that allow the optimal partition to be found efficiently. We define the class of flow-partitionable signed graphs, which have the property that the standard linear programming relaxation based on so-called cycle inequalities is tight. In other words, flow-partitionable signed graphs satisfy an exact max-multiflow-min-multicut relation in the associated instances of minimum multicut. …
For a given graph $R$, a graph $G$ is $R$-free if $G$ does not contain $R$ as an induced subgraph. It is known that every $2$-tough graph with at least three vertices has a $2$-factor. In graphs with restricted structures, it was shown that every $2K_2$-free $3/2$-tough graph with at least three vertices has a $2$-factor, and the toughness bound $3/2$ is best possible. In viewing $2K_2$, the disjoint union of two edges, as a linear forest, in this paper, for any linear forest $R$ on 5, 6, or 7 vertices, we find the sharp toughness bound $t$ such that every $t$-tough $R$-free graph on at least …
The traditional game of cops and robbers is played on undirected graph. Recently, the same game played on directed graph is getting attention by more and more people. We knew that if we forbid some subgraph we can bound the cop number of the corresponding class of graphs. In this paper, we analyze the game of cops and robbers on $\Vec{H}$-free digraphs. However, it is not the same as the case of undirected graph. So we give a new concept ($\Vec{H}^*$-free) to get a similar conclusion about the case of undirected graph.
For every graph $X$, we consider the class of all connected $\{K_{1,3}, X\}$-free graphs which are distinct from an odd cycle and have independence number at least $4$, and we show that all graphs in the class are perfect if and only if $X$ is an induced subgraph of some of $P_6$, $K_1 \cup P_5$, $2P_3$, $Z_2$ or $K_1 \cup Z_1$. Furthermore, for $X$ chosen as $2K_1 \cup K_3$, we list all eight imperfect graphs belonging to the class; and for every other choice of $X$, we show that there are infinitely many such graphs. In addition, for $X$ chosen as $B_{1,2}$, we describe the structure of all …
Zero forcing is a process that models the spread of information throughout a graph as white vertices are forced to turn blue using a color change rule. The idea of throttling, introduced in 2013 by Butler and Young, is to optimize the trade-off between the number of initial blue vertices and the time taken to force all vertices to become blue. The original throttling number of a graph minimizes the sum of these two quantities and the product throttling number minimizes their product. In addition, weighted throttling changes the weights given to these two quantities when minimizing their sum. S…
