New Computational Upper Bounds for Ramsey Numbers R(3,k)

Using computational techniques we derive six new upper bounds on the classical two-color Ramsey numbers: R(3,10) <= 42, R(3,11) <= 50, R(3,13) <= 68, R(3,14) <= 77, R(3,15) <= 87, and R(3,16) <= 98. All of them are improvements by one over the previously best known bounds. Let e(3,k,n) denote the minimum number of edges in any triangle-free graph on n vertices without independent sets of order k. The new upper bounds on R(3,k) are obtained by completing the computation of the exact values of e(3,k,n) for all n with k <= 9 and for all n <= 33 for k = 10, and by establishing new lower bounds on e(3,k,n) for most of the open cases for 10 <= k <= 15. The enumeration of all graphs witnessing the values of e(3,k,n) is completed for all cases with k <= 9. We prove that the known critical graph for R(3,9) on 35 vertices is unique up to isomorphism. For the case of R(3,10), first we establish that R(3,10) = 43 if and only if e(3,10,42) = 189, or equivalently, that if R(3,10) = 43 then every critical graph is regular of degree 9. Then, using computations, we disprove the existence of the latter, and thus show that R(3,10) <= 42.Comment: 28 pages (includes a lot of tables); added improved lower bound for R(3,11); added some note

On Ramsey numbers of complete graphs with dropped stars

Let $r(G,H)$ be the smallest integer $N$ such that for any $2$-coloring (say, red and blue) of the edges of $K\_n$, $n\geqslant N$, there is either a red copy of $G$ or a blue copy of $H$. Let $K\_n-K\_{1,s}$ be the complete graph on $n$ vertices from which the edges of $K\_{1,s}$ are dropped. In this note we present exact values for $r(K\_m-K\_{1,1},K\_n-K\_{1,s})$ and new upper bounds for $r(K\_m,K\_n-K\_{1,s})$ in numerous cases. We also present some results for the Ramsey number of Wheels versus $K\_n-K\_{1,s}$.Comment: 9 pages ; 1 table in Discrete Applied Mathematics, Elsevier, 201