48 research outputs found
Generation of cubic graphs and snarks with large girth
We describe two new algorithms for the generation of all non-isomorphic cubic
graphs with girth at least which are very efficient for
and show how these algorithms can be efficiently restricted to generate snarks
with girth at least .
Our implementation of these algorithms is more than 30, respectively 40 times
faster than the previously fastest generator for cubic graphs with girth at
least 6 and 7, respectively.
Using these generators we have also generated all non-isomorphic snarks with
girth at least 6 up to 38 vertices and show that there are no snarks with girth
at least 7 up to 42 vertices. We present and analyse the new list of snarks
with girth 6.Comment: 27 pages (including appendix
On the smallest snarks with oddness 4 and connectivity 2
A snark is a bridgeless cubic graph which is not 3-edge-colourable. The
oddness of a bridgeless cubic graph is the minimum number of odd components in
any 2-factor of the graph.
Lukot'ka, M\'acajov\'a, Maz\'ak and \v{S}koviera showed in [Electron. J.
Combin. 22 (2015)] that the smallest snark with oddness 4 has 28 vertices and
remarked that there are exactly two such graphs of that order. However, this
remark is incorrect as -- using an exhaustive computer search -- we show that
there are in fact three snarks with oddness 4 on 28 vertices. In this note we
present the missing snark and also determine all snarks with oddness 4 up to 34
vertices.Comment: 5 page
On almost hypohamiltonian graphs
A graph is almost hypohamiltonian (a.h.) if is non-hamiltonian, there
exists a vertex in such that is non-hamiltonian, and is
hamiltonian for every vertex in . The second author asked in [J.
Graph Theory 79 (2015) 63--81] for all orders for which a.h. graphs exist. Here
we solve this problem. To this end, we present a specialised algorithm which
generates complete sets of a.h. graphs for various orders. Furthermore, we show
that the smallest cubic a.h. graphs have order 26. We provide a lower bound for
the order of the smallest planar a.h. graph and improve the upper bound for the
order of the smallest planar a.h. graph containing a cubic vertex. We also
determine the smallest planar a.h. graphs of girth 5, both in the general and
cubic case. Finally, we extend a result of Steffen on snarks and improve two
bounds on longest paths and longest cycles in polyhedral graphs due to
Jooyandeh, McKay, {\"O}sterg{\aa}rd, Pettersson, and the second author.Comment: 18 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1602.0717
Generation and Properties of Snarks
For many of the unsolved problems concerning cycles and matchings in graphs
it is known that it is sufficient to prove them for \emph{snarks}, the class of
nontrivial 3-regular graphs which cannot be 3-edge coloured. In the first part
of this paper we present a new algorithm for generating all non-isomorphic
snarks of a given order. Our implementation of the new algorithm is 14 times
faster than previous programs for generating snarks, and 29 times faster for
generating weak snarks. Using this program we have generated all non-isomorphic
snarks on vertices. Previously lists up to vertices have been
published. In the second part of the paper we analyze the sets of generated
snarks with respect to a number of properties and conjectures. We find that
some of the strongest versions of the cycle double cover conjecture hold for
all snarks of these orders, as does Jaeger's Petersen colouring conjecture,
which in turn implies that Fulkerson's conjecture has no small counterexamples.
In contrast to these positive results we also find counterexamples to eight
previously published conjectures concerning cycle coverings and the general
cycle structure of cubic graphs.Comment: Submitted for publication V2: various corrections V3: Figures updated
and typos corrected. This version differs from the published one in that the
Arxiv-version has data about the automorphisms of snarks; Journal of
Combinatorial Theory. Series B. 201
Cubic graphs with large circumference deficit
The circumference of a graph is the length of a longest cycle. By
exploiting our recent results on resistance of snarks, we construct infinite
classes of cyclically -, - and -edge-connected cubic graphs with
circumference ratio bounded from above by , and
, respectively. In contrast, the dominating cycle conjecture implies
that the circumference ratio of a cyclically -edge-connected cubic graph is
at least .
In addition, we construct snarks with large girth and large circumference
deficit, solving Problem 1 proposed in [J. H\"agglund and K. Markstr\"om, On
stable cycles and cycle double covers of graphs with large circumference, Disc.
Math. 312 (2012), 2540--2544]
Smallest snarks with oddness 4 and cyclic connectivity 4 have order 44
The family of snarks -- connected bridgeless cubic graphs that cannot be
3-edge-coloured -- is well-known as a potential source of counterexamples to
several important and long-standing conjectures in graph theory. These include
the cycle double cover conjecture, Tutte's 5-flow conjecture, Fulkerson's
conjecture, and several others. One way of approaching these conjectures is
through the study of structural properties of snarks and construction of small
examples with given properties. In this paper we deal with the problem of
determining the smallest order of a nontrivial snark (that is, one which is
cyclically 4-edge-connected and has girth at least 5) of oddness at least 4.
Using a combination of structural analysis with extensive computations we prove
that the smallest order of a snark with oddness at least 4 and cyclic
connectivity 4 is 44. Formerly it was known that such a snark must have at
least 38 vertices [J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 103 (2013), 468--488] and one such
snark on 44 vertices was constructed by Lukot'ka et al. [Electron. J. Combin.
22 (2015), #P1.51]. The proof requires determining all cyclically
4-edge-connected snarks on 36 vertices, which extends the previously compiled
list of all such snarks up to 34 vertices [J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, loc.
cit.]. As a by-product, we use this new list to test the validity of several
conjectures where snarks can be smallest counterexamples.Comment: 21 page
Generation of cubic graphs
We describe a new algorithm for the efficient generation of all non-isomorphic connected cubic graphs. Our implementation of this algorithm is more than 4 times faster than previous generators. The generation can also be efficiently restricted to cubic graphs with girth at least 4 or 5