1,190 research outputs found
Topics in Graph Theory: Extremal Intersecting Systems, Perfect Graphs, and Bireflexive Graphs
In this thesis we investigate three different aspects of graph theory.
Firstly, we consider interesecting systems of independent sets in graphs, and the extension of the classical theorem of Erdos, Ko and Rado to graphs.
Our main results are a proof of an Erdos-Ko-Rado type theorem for a class of trees, and a class of trees which form counterexamples to a conjecture of Hurlberg and Kamat, in such a way that extends the previous counterexamples given by Baber.
Secondly, we investigate perfect graphs - specifically, edge modification aspects of perfect graphs and their subclasses. We give some alternative characterisations of perfect graphs in terms of edge modification, as well as considering the possible connection of the critically perfect graphs - previously studied by Wagler - to the Strong Perfect Graph Theorem. We prove that the situation where critically perfect graphs arise has no analogue in seven different subclasses of perfect graphs (e.g. chordal, comparability graphs), and consider the connectivity of a bipartite reconfiguration-type graph associated to each of these subclasses.
Thirdly, we consider a graph theoretic structure called a bireflexive graph where every vertex is both adjacent and nonadjacent to itself, and use this to characterise modular decompositions as the surjective homomorphisms of these structures. We examine some analogues of some graph theoretic notions and define a “dual” version of the reconstruction conjecture
Constraint optimization and landscapes
We describe an effective landscape introduced in [1] for the analysis of
Constraint Satisfaction problems, such as Sphere Packing, K-SAT and Graph
Coloring. This geometric construction reexpresses these problems in the more
familiar terms of optimization in rugged energy landscapes. In particular, it
allows one to understand the puzzling fact that unsophisticated programs are
successful well beyond what was considered to be the `hard' transition, and
suggests an algorithm defining a new, higher, easy-hard frontier.Comment: Contribution to STATPHYS2
Graphs that do not contain a cycle with a node that has at least two neighbors on it
We recall several known results about minimally 2-connected graphs, and show
that they all follow from a decomposition theorem. Starting from an analogy
with critically 2-connected graphs, we give structural characterizations of the
classes of graphs that do not contain as a subgraph and as an induced subgraph,
a cycle with a node that has at least two neighbors on the cycle. From these
characterizations we get polynomial time recognition algorithms for these
classes, as well as polynomial time algorithms for vertex-coloring and
edge-coloring
Characterising and recognising game-perfect graphs
Consider a vertex colouring game played on a simple graph with
permissible colours. Two players, a maker and a breaker, take turns to colour
an uncoloured vertex such that adjacent vertices receive different colours. The
game ends once the graph is fully coloured, in which case the maker wins, or
the graph can no longer be fully coloured, in which case the breaker wins. In
the game , the breaker makes the first move. Our main focus is on the
class of -perfect graphs: graphs such that for every induced subgraph ,
the game played on admits a winning strategy for the maker with only
colours, where denotes the clique number of .
Complementing analogous results for other variations of the game, we
characterise -perfect graphs in two ways, by forbidden induced subgraphs
and by explicit structural descriptions. We also present a clique module
decomposition, which may be of independent interest, that allows us to
efficiently recognise -perfect graphs.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figures. An extended abstract was accepted at the
International Colloquium on Graph Theory (ICGT) 201
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